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Mail-in ballots headed to voters this week

Mail-in and absentee ballots are hitting the street this week.

“All voters within the county who applied for a ballot should receive their ballot by next Saturday, Oct. 12,” Warren County Elections Director Krystle Ransom said. ” If they have not received them by then, and have applied they should contact the election office.”

Oct. 29 is the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot, which must be returned to the county election office by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5.

“We advise the voters to vote their ballot as soon as they receive it and return it to the election office either by mailing it or walking it into the courthouse to the election office,” Ransom explained. “We do not have a drop box and each voter must return their own ballot.”

The Department of State advises that voters should fill out the ballot, place it in the secrecy envelope, seal that envelope in the outer envelope and sign the voter’s declaration with the current date “as soon as voters receive their mail ballot.”

A Warren County League of Women Voters study found that it takes as little as two days — or as many as 29 — to get a ballot back to the county via the U.S. Postal Service. The average transit time was just under three days.

In addition to going to the polls on Nov. 5, Ransom said voters will also be able to vote “on-demand” starting Oct. 7.

That means that an “absentee ballot or mail-in ballot applications may be filled out in my office and they will receive their ballot over the counter,” Ransom said. “We are expecting quite a few people to be taking advantage of this method, so please be aware there may be a line, and patience is appreciated.

“The last day to do in-office on-demand voting is Oct. 29.”

LAWSUIT UPDATE

The Warren County Board of Elections has been named in two pieces of election litigation.

One challenges whether voters must put the date on the outer return envelope while the other challenges some counties’ decision to allow voters to cure deficiencies in mail-in ballots. The curing case doesn’t stand to impact how Warren County officials manage the election. Both cases could impact the adjudication process.

“We do not have a curing policy,” Ransom said.

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