If a resident mailed in an application to Butler County for an absentee ballot before Oct. 6 and has not received the ballot back by today, Oct. 16, it’s time to call the Board of Elections.

Many Ohio residents have experienced delays in the delivery of their absentee ballots. Midwest Direct, the vendor of absentee ballots in Butler County, is having delays because of the high volume of requests for absentee ballots, according to Diane Noonan, the director of the Butler County Board of Elections. 

“The overwhelming number of ballots put a strain on Midwest Directs printers, which caused the delay,” Noonan said. The board will issue you a new ballot if you call and tell them yours hasn’t been delivered, she said. 

Around 61,000 absentee ballots were requested so far in Butler County and about 50,000 have now been mailed out, she said. 

“The good news is that they have been mailed from Hamilton, directly [to] here,” she said. 

Normally, the mailings might have been routed through Cincinnati, which could have added several days to the process. 

Voters still have time to request an absentee ballot, but mailed-in completed ballots must be postmarked no later than Monday, Nov. 2.

Regular voting occurs on Election Day, Nov. 3. But early, in-person voting can also be done in Ohio by going to the Butler County Board of Elections, 1802 Princeton Road, Hamilton, during early voting hours. Early voting has begun in Butler County and can be done on the following schedule:

• Friday, Oct. 16: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
• Monday, Oct. 19 through Friday, Oct. 23: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
• Saturday, Oct. 24: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 25: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 
• Monday, Oct. 26 through Friday, Oct. 30: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. 
• Saturday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
• Sunday, Nov. 1: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 2: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information visit the Butler County Board of Elections Website or contact them at (513) 887-3700