BUCYRUS — Early voting for the Nov. 3 election starts Oct. 6 and ends at 2 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Crawford County Board of Elections office in the basement of the Crawford County Courthouse, 112 E. Mansfield St.

As this is a presidential election, turnout is predicted to be high, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Still in some ways, this election will be the same as past elections.

“We’re going to have all three options available as usual,” said Ruth Leuthold, director of the Crawford County Board of Elections. “People can request an absentee ballot by filling out an application available on board of elections website.”

Voters must have the ability to print the application out because the board needs original signatures. She also said people can call the board office at 419-562-8721 to request an absentee ballot.

Absentee ballots cannot be mailed until Oct. 6.

Leuthold urged voters not to wait until the deadline to request an absentee ballot because there may not be enough time for voters’ ballots to get back to the board office in time.

“The actual deadline is Saturday before the election, which is Oct. 31, at noon. But that doesn’t really doesn’t allow enough time for the ballot to get out because they have to post mark the ballot by Monday, Nov. 2, or bring it back to our office on Election Day and you can’t take it to the polls. It has to be brought back to our office.”

Voters will notice some changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Voters will be asked to wear a mask when they vote,” Leuthold said. “The tables where they sign the tablet, there will be a sneeze guard between the voter and the worker, and we will have hand sanitizer for voters to use. Also, the voting units are going to be spread out a little farther. We’ll have some markings on the floor to remind people to keep their distance. And we’re going to have disposable stylists, so each voter will get their own stylist so when they go to sign the tablet they can take it over to the voting unit to use it to vote with and they can keep it or throw it away. It will be just one person using a stylist.”

There is only one contested Crawford County race on the Nov. 3 ballot. Voters must select a probate-juvenile court judge. Republican Patrick T. Murphy, of Tiro, was appointed to the post by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine following the March 2020 death of long-time judge Steven D. Eckstein. Eckstein. He hopes to retain that seat. He is running against Galion attorney Debra A. Garverick, a Democrat.

Candidates on Crawford County ballot

PRESIDENT/VICE PRESIDENT

Donald J. Trump and Michael R. Pence, Republican

Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Kamala Harris, Democrat

Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker

Jo Jorgensen and Spike Cohen, Libertarian

Write-in candidates

Brian Carroll and Amar Patel

Tom Hoefling and Andy Prior

Dario Hunter and Dawn Neptune Adams

Jade Simmons and Claudeliah J. Roze

Kasey Wells and Rachel Wells

President R19 Boddie and Eric Stoneham

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, 4TH DISTRICT

Shannon M. Freshour, Marysville, Democrat

Jim Jordan, Urbana, Republican

Steve Perkins, Pataskala, Libertarian

OHIO SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

Sharon L. Kennedy

John P. O’Donnell

OHIO SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

Jennifer Brunner

Judi French

COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, 3RD DISTRICT

Mark C. Miller, Findlay

STATE SENATOR, 26TH DISTRICT

Bill Reineke, Republican

Craig Swartz, Democrat

Write-In candidate

Robert Taylor

STATE REPRESENTATIVE, 87TH DISTRICT

Riordan T. McClain, Upper Sandusky, Republican

Nicholas Barnes, Upper Sandusky, Democrat

CRAWFORD COUNTY COMMON PLEAS COURT JUDGE

Sean Leuthold, Republican

CRAWFORD COUNTY PROBATE/JUVENILE COURT JUDGE

Debra A. Garverick, Galion, Democrat

Patrick T. Murphy, Tiro, Republican

CRAWF0RD COUNTY COMMISSIONER

Larry Schmidt, Bucyrus, Republican

CRAWFORD COUNTY COMMISSIONER

Doug Weisenauer, Bloomville, Republican

CRAWFORD COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY

Matthew Crall, Bucyrus, Republican

CRAWFORD COUNTY CLERK OF COMMON PLEAS COURT

Janelle Moore, Galion, Republican

CRAWFORD COUNTY SHERIFF

Scott M. Kent, Bucyrus, Democrat

CRAWFORD COUNTY RECORDER

Julie A. Wells, Crestline, Republican

COUNTY TREASURER

Cindy Edwards, Bucyrus, Republican

CRAWFORD COUNTY ENGINEER

Mark E. Baker, Galion, Republican

CRAWFORD COUNTY CORONER

Christopher Michael Johnson, Bucyrus, Republican

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION, 1ST DISTRICT

Diana M. Fessler, Bellefontaine

Crawford County issues

• Galion City Schools, renewal of a five-year, 7.73 mill tax for current expenses.
• Holmes Township, additional two-year, 1.75-mill tax for providing fire protection.
• Chatfield, renewal of a five-year, 5-mill tax for current expenses
• Auburn Township, renewal of a five-year, 3-mill tax for providing fire apparatus, appliances and current operation of the fire department and ambulance and emergency medical services.
• Bucyrus Township, renewal of five-year, 1-mill tax for current expenses.

Out of county issues

• Mohawk Community, renewal of five-year, 0.8-mill tax for current operating expenses of the Mohawk Community Library.
• Wyandot East Fire, renewal of a five-year, 2.5-mill levy for the Wyandot East Fire District.
• Huron County, renewal of five-year, 1.275-mill levy for current expenses of Huron County Community Library, Huron and Crawford counties