Marion County Board of Elections: Poll workers still needed for May 3 primary
With less than a week remaining until the Ohio primary election on May 3, the Marion County Board of Elections is still in need of volunteers to work at polling locations.
"We're about 20 (people) short," Board of Elections Director Cindy Price said. "Our minimum is 130, but to really staff our polling places to where we're comfortable, we need 150 people."
Marion County has 65 voting precincts spread across six locations: Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Richland Road Church of Christ, Knights of Columbus hall, Dayspring Wesleyan Church, Cornerstone Alliance Church, and the Elgin Local Schools Administration Office.
Price outlined the election day responsibilities poll workers are asked to fulfill.
"They're going to be there from 5:30 in the morning until about 8 o'clock at night, because they have to tear down the equipment after voting is done," Price said. "So, it's a long day. The poll workers assist the voters with the check-in process, escort them to the voting machines, scan their ballots prior to leaving — just walking people through that whole process. The information table will have sample ballots and a list of registered voters if they want to check all that out before they go to check in to vote.
"Poll workers assist people with all of that. They're the backbone of election day."
Two poll workers are assigned to each precinct — one Democrat and one Republican.
People interested in volunteering to be a poll worker can contact the Marion County Board of Elections at 740-223-4090 or email marion@OhioSoS.gov. People can also register to become poll workers by visiting VoteOhio.gov and clicking on "Poll Worker Resources" under the "Vote on Election Day" section.
Early voting continues through May 2
Early voting in Ohio is in effect until Monday, May 2. In Marion County, early voting is being conducted at the Board of Elections office, located on ground floor of the Marion County Building, 222 W. Center St.
Residents can vote in person from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today through Friday, April 29; from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 30; from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 1; and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, May 2.
Voters can still request absentee ballots through the end of this week. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is noon on April 30. Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by May 2. Absentee ballots may be returned in person to the Board of Elections office or placed in the secure drop box behind the county building by 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3.
"We prefer people don't wait until noon on April 30 to request ballots because if we're mailing things out and people think (the ballots) are going to get back to us in three or four days, that's impossible," Price said. "Even though the deadline (to request absentee ballots) is noon on Saturday (April 30), they would have to be received in our office on Tuesday (May 3) and postmarked on Monday (May 2)."
Absentee ballot applications are available next to the drop box, inside the Board of Elections office, at the U.S. Post Office on Barks Road, or online at the Board of Elections website www.boe.ohio.gov/marion.
Candidate forum
What: Marion County residents can hear from the three GOP candidates for county commissioner at a forum hosted by the Marion Star.
When: 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Where: Marion Technical College Health Technologies Center auditorium, room 103
Directions: Guests should park in student Lot 6, walk across the bridge and enter the building's main entrance facing the campus pond. The auditorium is located just off the lobby.
On air: The forum will also air live on WMRN 1490 AM, and will be available to listen to afterwards via podcast through WMRN on iHeart's podcast app on smart devices. WMRN's Paul James is moderating.
Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion County Board of Elections needs poll workers for May 3 primary
