FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ohio — Early voting for the May 3 primary is set to start next Tuesday, even though the ballot is going to look a little different without including the statewide senate and house races because of the ongoing controversy over new redistricting maps.
As of now, it's unclear when voters will get to choose the winners in those contests, but poll workers are moving forward with the races that are confirmed.
Within the Franklin County Board of Elections office, you'll find voting signs in place, machines prepped and ready for early voting to begin. It's a race against time to get ready to welcome early voters.
Aaron Sellers, public information officer for the Franklin County Board of Elections, said "Monday we have to send out absentee ballot requests to voters. You have voters as well as people who've requested them. We're putting the finishing touches on those ballots. And we're waiting on the secretary of state to give us the okay to do that."
On the May 3rd ballot, voters can expect to see the gubernatorial race, U.S. Senate races, local races, and the congressional primary. What voters won't see this time around: contests for Ohio House and Senate seats.
As the redistricting battle continues, a second primary with those races is not off the table, but Sellers said having a second primary would cause some issues.
"There's obviously a cost involved in running a second primary. Statewide, the numbers I'm hearing are $20 million to run an additional primary," he said.
He said they'd also have to find more help as well as places to vote.
"We are in about 320 voting locations throughout the county. We're in about a third of our locations are in schools, and we're in churches. A lot of things they do in the summer are repairs and renovations. Churches have camps, and there is a church camp," Sellers said.