The first day of early voting brought a line of people to the polls in Franklin County before the doors opened at 8 a.m. Wednesday, but the line quickly dissipated throughout the day as voters decide on important statewide issues dealing with marijuana legalization and abortion.
While there were no lines later in the morning and into the early afternoon, there was a steady stream of voters walking in and out of the Franklin County Board of Elections on Morse Road. The August special election deciding Issue 1 saw lines out the door nearly every day of early voting until Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 7), but the space inside the Franklin County Board of Elections wasn't as large.
Columbus mayoral candidate Joe Motil and Columbus City Council candidate Luis Gil were among the candidates jockeying for the attention of voters before they went into the building. Motil's opponent, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther held an early vote rally outside the board of elections later Wednesday with Columbus City Council members and Democratic Party leaders.
Related: Ohio voter guide: What to know about the Nov. 7 election
Franklin County Board of Elections Spokesperson Aaron Sellers said early voting turnout could get as high as early voting during the August special election when polling reached 39% statewide and 38% in Franklin County. Sellers said the two statewide issues; enshrining a right to abortion into the Ohio Constitution, referred to as Issue 1, and legalizing recreational marijuana, which is addressed in Issue 2, are likely to drive turnout.
"I would definitely think so. Obviously, with a lot of the heavy turnout for a special election in August, we certainly anticipate that those folks will be back here," Sellers said.
Sellers said the space inside the board of elections is configured differently from August and is much larger and able to accommodate more people at once and the facility has more voting machines in operation.
Franklin County resident and Nationwide Children's Hospital surgeon Jon Groner voted in the mid-morning Wednesday and said he primarily came to vote to support Issue 1. He said his own experience as a doctor showed him the importance of allowing abortions.
"Issue 1 is critical and reproductive rights are really important," Groner said.
Columbus resident Nancy Hughey also voted early on Wednesday and was also mainly motivated by her support for Issue 1.
"I don't like the interference in our personal lives with the government making those kind of health decisions. What could that snowball into? There's been talk about restricting birth control," Hughey said.
She said both Republicans and Democrats advocate for personal freedom and she feels voting for Issue 1 is in favor of that.
Hughey said she experienced no wait time and the experience of voting early went smoothly for her.
"I feel like if I get it done, then there's nothing on (Election Day) that will prevent me from getting that done. That would be my last shot," Hughey said.
Sellers said in addition to the start of early voting, the board of elections will also mail out over 19,000 absentee mail-in ballots Wednesday. These ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 6 or returned in-person on Election Day.
The last day of early voting is Sunday, Nov. 5.
