Early voting for Ohio's August primary begins

Early voting for the Aug. 2 primary election is underway in Mercer and Auglaize counties.

Registered voters have the opportunity to nominate their party's candidates for Ohio House seats. Republican and Democrat winners will advance to the Nov. 8 general election to face off against one another for the seats.

The Aug. 2 primary ballot also contains candidates for Republican and Democratic state central committees.

A federal court panel in late May ordered Ohio to hold an Aug. 2 primary using the third set of Statehouse maps approved by the Ohio Redistricting Commission, despite a rebuke of the plan by the state's high court.

The court acted after giving Ohio a deadline to come up with a new map for legislative districts, a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio said in its ruling.

That deadline was missed, as the GOP-controlled commission did not schedule any meetings.

In Mercer County and parts of Auglaize County, including St. Marys, Wapakoneta, Minster, New Bremen and New Knoxville, Republicans Aimee Morrow of Greenville, Angela N. King of Celina and Jacob Larger of New Bremen will vie for their party's nomination for the Ohio 84th District seat.

The winner will advance to the Nov. 8 general election to challenge Democrat Sophia Rodriguez of Celina, who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election for the Ohio 84th District seat.

Early voting for the Aug. 2 primary election began Wednesday in Ohio, according to secretary of state Frank LaRose.

"Every election is important, but the August 2 primary is the opportunity for Ohio voters to impact the laws and policies that directly shape our state, our communities and our families," LaRose said in a news release. "As early voting kicks off, Ohioans should be confident the August 2 primary election will provide the same accurate, accessible and secure election to which they've become accustomed."

Electors have several ways to vote early. In Mercer County, they can vote in-person in the courthouse in Celina and in Auglaize County, the board of elections office at 209 S. Blackhoof St., Wapakoneta.

Early in-person voting hours are uniform across the state - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Friday, July 11-15 and July 18-22; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 25-29; 8 a.m to 4 p.m. July 30; 1 to 5 p.m. July 31; and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 1.

Electors also can request absentee ballots from their boards of elections. Requests to vote by mail must be in writing and received by the board no later than noon on July 30. Applications are available on boards of elections' websites.

Absentee ballots returned by U.S. Mail must be postmarked no later than Aug. 1 and received by boards of election by Aug. 12 to be counted. Absentee ballots also can be deposited in drop boxes at each county board of elections office. The Mercer County drop box is located in the circle driveway on the north side of the courthouse.

The Auglaize County drop box is located in the alley on the north side of the county building.

Ohioans will enjoy nearly 200 hours of early voting opportunities over the course of 21 days, LaRose said. Ohio is one of 18 states that allows voting on a Saturday and one of just six states that allows early voting on a Sunday. Ohio's early voting period is 21 percent longer than the national average, La Rose said.

- The Associated Press contributed to this story.