Holmes County Voters Can Cast Early Ballots Now Ahead of May Primary

Early in-person voting is open at the Holmes County Board of Elections, 75 E Clinton St in Millersburg, and a new state law has quietly changed the rules for anyone planning to mail an absentee ballot ahead of the May 5 primary.

Starting with the most consequential change first: under Ohio's revised voting rules taking effect this cycle, absentee ballots cast by mail must be physically received by the Holmes County Board of Elections no later than 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Previously, ballots postmarked by Election Day had additional days to arrive and still be counted. That grace period is gone. For Holmes County voters who drop a completed ballot in the mail in late April or early May, the postal timeline now carries real legal weight.

There are three ways to cast a ballot before or on May 5. The simplest option right now is to walk into the board office on East Clinton Street during early in-person voting hours. Voting opened April 7 and continues on a rolling schedule through May 3. Through April 24, the office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hours extend during the final push: April 27 runs 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and April 28 stays open until 8:30 p.m. to match the absentee ballot application deadline. From April 29 through May 1, hours are 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The office is open May 2 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and May 3 from 1 to 5 p.m. May 4, the day before Election Day, is not an early voting day under the new state calendar.

The second option is voting absentee by mail. Voters must submit a completed Ohio Form 11-A application to the board of elections by 8:30 p.m. on April 28. Ballots returned by mail must arrive at 75 E Clinton St by 7:30 p.m. on May 5.

The third option is hand-delivering a completed absentee ballot directly to the board office, which sidesteps any postal uncertainty. The board accepts hand-delivered ballots anytime up to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.

On Election Day itself, polling places open across Holmes County at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. Photo ID is required to vote, whether casting a ballot early at the board office or at a precinct polling place on May 5.

One detail worth flagging: the cutoff to register for this primary has already passed. The deadline was April 6, one day before early voting opened. Voters who are uncertain about their registration status can verify it through the board's online tools at boe.ohio.gov/holmes.

For anyone who requested an absentee ballot but has not yet mailed it back, hand-delivering it to the East Clinton Street office before May 5 at 7:30 p.m. remains a reliable fallback. The board's local preparation, including allocated ballot marking devices and in-house absentee printing, is designed to handle that volume without delay.