Ohio voters greeted by long lines at some polling locations

By J.D. Davidson
The Center Square

As polls opened in Ohio on Tuesday morning, more than half the state’s registered Republicans and Democrats had already cast their ballots in early voting.

Also, according to Secretary of State Frank LaRose, more than 54% of the more than 2.5 million early votes cast came from unaffiliated voters.

Polls opened at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.

Reports of long lines at polling locations in major metropolitan areas came almost as quickly as polls opened, with long lines in Franklin County long before voting began.

In Cincinnati, the line snaked entirely around the Downtown Library Annex at 9 a.m.

Three hours into voting, LaRose reported the state was off to a smooth start with strong voter turnout.

While Vice President Kamala Harris and President Donald Trump spent the weekend and Monday covering the seven battleground states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada and Arizona, Ohio Democratic incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican challenger Bernie Moreno covered Ohio in a last-ditch effort to sway voters before Tuesday.

Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, who cast his ballot in Ohio early Tuesday, is Trump's running mate.

The ballot also includes contested races for several U.S. House of Representative seats, Ohio Supreme Court seats and the anti-gerrymandering Issue 1 that would change who would draw the state’s voting districts.

More than 1.5 million cast ballots early in person.

Absentee mail-in ballots dropped off at the county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. This year, voters can only return their own ballot at a dropbox.

Voters on Election Day must present an approved voter ID, which includes an Ohio driver’s license, state ID card, interim ID issued by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, U.S. passport, U.S. passport card, U.S. military ID card, or a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card.

Historically, between 5.6 million and 5.7 million Ohio voters cast ballots in the last four presidential elections, aside from a higher total during 2020 when absentee voting was expanded due to the pandemic.