General Election 2023

So it’s almost here, one of our favorite days around the office, Election Day.  Mind you, Kurt will be a bit tired, and stressed, but we still love the excitement and energy of it. 

For years our team has worked to make sure everyone who should get to vote gets to vote by working with Toledo Area Jobs with Justice/Interfaith Worker Justice and their rides to the polls operation 419-VOTE NOW. And helping found and working with the Democratic Promote the Vote/Voter Protection Team.  And now we send the boss off to do his board of elections job.  

Some people call these Odd Year Elections Off Year Elections.  They act as if there aren’t many important issues or candidates as we’re not voting on President, Congress, Governor, the General Assembly, etc.  But there are actually more candidates and issues on the ballot save the Presidential primary and party reorganization primaries next year.  

In fact, for our readers from Lucas County we’re enclosing the list of all candidates and issues that will appear on the ballot And it’s extensive.  We have two statewide issues to vote on Issue One protects a woman’s right to choose would severely restrict limits on abortion.  State Issue Two would allow Ohio to join the growing list of states where the recreational use of marijuana would be legal in many circumstances.

Plus there are multiple levies and other questions to vote on.  Along with again most cities and villages, mayoral races, city council races, judicial races, and school board positions. These are the people whose day to day decisions effect us the most.  So, if you haven’t yet, you should learn about what you’ll be voting on.  

If you are a Lucas County voter, go the voter services page of the Lucas County Board of Elections website There you confirm you are registered to vote, where your polling place is (they have to move sometimes) and what candidates and issues will appear on your ballot.  In fact you can download a pdf of what your ballot will look like when you go to vote. It really is a great feature.  

Now, when you’ve got your mind made up, make your plan to vote.  There are three ways you can vote in Ohio, but that last one ends soon.  That first one is to request a vote by mail absentee ballot.  You don’t have to a reason to vote absentee in our state, but the deadline is almost past on getting a request in.  And you can return them by driving them down to your county’s drop box before the end of Election Day.  You can mail them, but you a postmark the day before or earlier and they need to arrive no later than a few days post Election Day.  

Second way you can vote early in person, although we call those absentee ballots in the technical speak of election administration early absentee, at your county’s Early Vote Center (EVC).  All of Ohio’s 88 counties have one.  Lucas County’s is located at 3737 W. Sylvania Avenue, not far from Franklin Park Mall.  The Entrance is in the back of the building at Entrance C.  With this post you find our schedule for early voting in Lucas County but that is the same as all of the other counties.  


And the third way is for you to go to your polling place to vote.  We are also including a list of what ID you can use to make sure your vote counts.  And if you are registered to vote, don’t ever leave without voting a provisional ballot, unless you already voted in this election. The system and the people who run it are far from perfect and mistakes get made.  But if you should have your vote count, and vote provisionally, so long as you comply with the law, and fix the issues we say you have, those votes do count to the official tally or outcome. 

And for those who don’t know, those numbers we give you are the unofficial tallies.  Meaning that they may not be the same when all of the dust settles.  The Board of Elections can have a late mail absentee ballot count if it was mailed in time and arrives in time.  We can count the provisional ballots that are corrected.  So, please be patient.  The Board of Elections is staffed by incredible people and their goal, Democrat & Republican alike is to run fair, secure, accurate elections.  

Now, if you haven’t already, get out there and vote.  The Democracy you save, will be your own.