Everything You Need To Know For Election Day

BY RACHEL TRACY and JACK REYERING
Miami University journalism students

With Election Day just a day away, Butler County residents have a slew of candidates and issues to consider when they head to the polls on Tuesday.

There are 27 positions up for election in Butler County and a number of issues affecting varying regions of the county.

Butler County is divided into 282 precincts, with 89 polling locations. Oxford itself is divided into 11 precincts around the city.

Here's what to know:

• Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Find your polling place here.
• To see exactly who is on your ballot, click here.

No Need To Wait Until Nov. 8

Registered voters can vote anytime between now and November 8 in person or by mail.

“Every day from now through Nov. 8 is Election Day in Ohio,” said Ohio Democratic Party Communications Director, Kirsten Alvantakis. “Any registered Ohio voter can vote early in person or via mail, and that is what we're encouraging folks to do.”

In Butler County, the early voting station is located at Butler County Board of Elections, 1802 Princeton Rd., in Hamilton, OH.

If you are voting by mail, your completed ballot must be postmarked by Nov. 7. If it is later, the votes will not be counted.

Expect Long Lines

Those who choose to wait until Tuesday will be part of an expected high turnout due to the high profile of the presidential candidates.

"It's possible there may be waits at polling locations, just depending on the time of day that voters vote,” Deputy Director of the Butler County Board of Elections Jocelyn Bucaro. “But we don't expect long lines, meaning voters should not have to wait that long to vote."

In fact, of the over 370,000 people living in Butler County, Bucaro expects around 115,000 voters to turnout on election day.

In addition to the president, registered voters will be asked to cast votes for:

• The race for U.S. senator has 5 candidates. Republican incumbent Rob Portman is facing Democrat Ted Strickland, the former Governor of Ohio who served from 2007-2011. Strickland lost his governorship to John Kasich in 2011. The two candidates will face Joseph R. DeMare of the Green Party and Scott Rupert and Tom Connors who are unaffiliated.

• Up for re-election for the 8th Congressional District is Republican Warren Davidson. Davidson faces Steven Fought, the Democratic nominee.

Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump has voiced repeated concern of voter rigging at the polls and have encouraged his supporters to watch the voters. Last week, four battleground states -- including Ohio -- filed suit against him to shut those poll-watching efforts. Those suits the effort is meant to harass and intimidate minority voters.

On local official said voters here have should not be concerned when they head to the voting booth.

“The Board of Elections of Butler County evaluates every election that comes along. They check people signing in, they double check the printed ballot,” said Voter Service Vice President for the League of Women Voters of Oxford Prue Dana. “You can go to the Board of Elections in Butler County to see if your vote was recorded, because not only do you vote on the screen, but you get a little print-out that says who you voted for."

The League of Women Voters in Oxford has partnered with Vote-411 in an effort to get more election information out to voters.

For more information on candidates listed on your ballot, visit vote411.org and enter your permanent address.

Photo: Visit Vote411.org to find out more about candidates in your area. -- Contributed by Vote411.org.