STEUBENVILLE - On Nov. 4, Jefferson County voters must choose between two voting lines when they reach the check-in table at their respective precincts.
During the general election, voters will have the choice of casting their ballots by electronic voting machine or a paper ballot. Diane Gribble, county board of elections director, said the office has been directed by the Ohio Secretary of State's office to provide voters with the option of voting by both methods.
One line will be for the electronic machines and the other will be for provisional or paper ballots. Gribble said a greeter will be available at polling locations with more than one precinct to help voters with which line to enter.
The check-in table will have identical sign-in books, she said, and two poll workers will check the required identification of each voter.
Gribble believes the two lines may actually speed up the voting process. In prior elections, with only one line, a person without the necessary identification or having a change in address would slow the process down by being informed they had to vote by provisional ballot.
Provisional ballots are stored by the board of elections for at least 10 days after the election so the board can check the address or identification of each voter. The ballots approved then are included in the official ballot count.
Each of the county's 82 precincts will have enough paper ballots to cover 25 percent of the voters who voted in the prior presidential election at that particular precinct, as per the directive from the Ohio Secretary of State's office.
Gribble noted more paper ballots can be printed at the board of elections and taken to a precinct if the number of ballots begins to run low.
Paper ballots will be counted separately from the electronic machine votes and will be combined on election night with absentee or early voting ballots. The county doesn't have a high-speed paper ballot counter like other counties that only use paper ballots, Gribble said. She noted Jefferson County remains an electronic machine county.
Gribble again reminded voters about the length of the ballot, especially the state issues. She said voters will need to be educated on the candidates and issues.
"A big part of the election is for voters to be prepared, informed and patient," Gribble said. "There will be a massive voter turnout. No matter what, (a voter) will have to wait. If they are prepared and informed, it may help move things along."
The county board of elections office has received more than 4,000 requests for early voting or absentee ballots. Gribble anticipates 8,000 of the county's 48,000 registered voters will cast early ballots. Voters have until the day before the general election to cast early ballots.
Ohio used to only accept voting prior to the election if the person provided an excuse as to why they would be absent from the county on Election Day. The law changed to eliminate the excuse provision, and now absentee ballots are consider early voting ballots.