Early voting is under way in Auglaize County, where voters can cast ballots in person at the Board of Elections office in Wapakoneta ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. The office, at 209 S. Blackhoof St., Room 205, in Wapakoneta, is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 23, giving residents in Wapakoneta, St. Marys, Cridersville, Minster, New Bremen and the county’s townships a chance to vote before Election Day.
Auglaize County voters will decide statewide races and statewide Issue 3 alongside the local races and issues that appear on their precinct ballots. The county’s ballot includes the contests for governor, attorney general, auditor, secretary of state, treasurer, the Ohio Supreme Court seats and U.S. senator, as well as the local offices and levy questions filed with the board by the August deadline.
Board officials have published a full early-voting schedule that expands in the final week. After the regular weekday hours, the office will be open Saturday, Oct. 24, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., then Monday, Oct. 26, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with longer days continuing through Friday, Oct. 30.
The final weekend of early voting brings two more opportunities: Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 1, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. There is no in-person early voting on Monday, Nov. 2, so voters who prefer to cast a ballot early in person should plan around that closing weekend.
Voters who prefer to vote by mail face a key deadline of their own. Absentee ballot applications must reach the board by 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and under Ohio law a voted absentee ballot must be received by the close of polls on Election Day to be counted, so officials encourage mail voters to return ballots promptly or deliver them to the board office.
Election Day itself is Tuesday, Nov. 3, when polls across Auglaize County will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at assigned polling locations. Voters who are unsure of their precinct or polling place can check with the Board of Elections at 419-739-6720 or through the Ohio Secretary of State’s voter lookup at VoteOhio.gov.
Behind the scenes, board staff have been proofing ballots, testing voting equipment — including a public test held Oct. 14 — training poll workers and packing precinct supplies for November. That preparation continues after the polls close, with provisional-ballot review, post-election audits and certification still to come before the county’s results become official.