The Allen County Board of Elections wants to remind people of the petition deadline for the May primary. With it being an off-year election, voters will be deciding who will be representing them at the county and municipal level. So anyone interested in running for those seats must get their petitions signed and submitted by Wednesday, February 5th, to be on the ballot.
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LIMA, OH (WLIO) -Â The League of Women Voters of the Lima Area gathered at the Lima Public Library.
According to one Allen County polling location, it's no typical Election Day. At First Baptist Church on Cable Road, there are three precincts with about 3,000 registered voters, and they are seeing a larger-than-normal turnout this morning. They saw 45 people lined up when the polls opened at 6:30 a.m. and have already surpassed the total number of voters they saw in the primary.
The 2024 presidential election is only hours away, and the nation will either elect former President Donald Trump or elect Kamala Harris as the first female to the office of president of the United States. In Ohio, nearly 2.5 million people have already voted with in-person early voting and absentee ballots. Allen County saw just about 18,000 registered voters cast their ballots early. Those coming to the polls on Election Day need to remember to bring their identification.
November 4, 2024, Press Release from the Office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost: (COLUMBUS, Ohio) — In an effort to safeguard democratic principles and the rule of law, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost led a bipartisan coalition of 50 other attorneys general calling for peace nationwide in response to the Nov. 5 presidential election. Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s election, we expect that Americans will respond peacefully and we condemn any acts of violence related to the results. A peaceful transfer of power is the highest testament to the rule of law, a tradition that stands at the heart of our nation’s stability. As Attorneys General, we affirm our commitment to protect our communities and uphold the democratic principles we serve. We call upon every American to vote, participate in civil discourse and, above all, respect the integrity of the democratic process. Let us come together after this election not divided by outcomes but united in our shared commitment to the rule of law and safety of all Americans. Violence has no place in the democratic process; we will exercise our authority to enforce the law against any illegal acts that threaten it.
Besides the other early voters already in line, the Lima Area Black Ministerial Alliance held "Souls to the Poll" to encourage people to cast their ballots in the November 5th election.
Many Elida residents voiced strong concerns about the financial future of Elida Local Schools at Tuesday night's special board of education meeting. Currently, the Elida School Board is weighing the idea of putting out a $2.7 million renewal levy as the current levy expires at the end of 2025. In the unofficial 5-year forecast presented by Elida Treasurer Larry Kaiser, the district's expenses are forecasted to outpace revenues by an increasingly growing margin. On Tuesday evening, many Elida residents publicly addressed the board with their concerns if a renewal levy is not pursued.
With just a week to go before Election Day, early voting numbers are hitting record numbers in parts of the nation. Nearly 1.7 million Ohioans have voted early. Around 941,000 of those are in person. 1.1 million Ohioans have requested absentee ballots, and nearly two-thirds have been returned. That return rate for absentee ballots tends to be higher in our area. Hardin and Logan counties top that list at 73%, followed closely by Mercer and Van Wert counties at 72%. One local county stands out though; only 41% of the 10,000 Allen County voters who requested an absentee ballot have returned those.
St. Marys City Council approved the language of a renewal income tax levy residents will vote on next year. Currently, St. Marys residents pay an income tax of 1.5%. With this renewal income tax levy, St. Marys voters will decide if they will renew the 1.5% income tax they already pay. It is important to note that this levy will not increase taxes, and it is a renewal levy that happens every 10 years after the original income tax levy passed in 1985. After council, we spoke with the Mayor of St. Marys, Joe Hurlburt Jr., on how the collected tax is used.
Election Day is just around the corner, but there's still plenty of time to cast your vote. Expanded early voting hours are kicking off around the state. That begins with two weekends of in-person early voting starting tomorrow (October 26, 2024) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and this Sunday (October 27, 2024) from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at your board of elections. The state mandates that each county offer specific expanded early voting hours through November 3rd. The hope is to provide voters plenty of options to make casting their ballot more convenient.