COLUMBUS, Ohio — The ballot box outside of the Franklin County Board of Elections is monitored 24 hours a day by a security camera.
There are also yellow blockades to prevent a car from disrupting the voting process.
Inside, a Franklin County Sheriff’s deputy is making sure no one disrupts the vote. Election machines have been tested for logic and accuracy days in advance.
All of the security is in place to ensure a safe and error-free midterm election.
But, how do Franklin County voters feel about the safety of their vote?
“I have full confidence in the system we have in place,” said Lydia Smith of Columbus.
“I feel that my vote will be counted properly and that the machines are secure and the people have been trained and there is nothing to fear about safety,” said Columbus resident Ligia Rivera.
In another attempt to ensure a safe election, electioneering is prohibited.
Those passing out party pamphlets must stay 100 feet away from election machines and no one is allowed to wear political memorabilia where voting takes place.
“You can't have political stuff a particular candidate or button and we politically ask people to turn it inside out or remove it,” said Aaron Sellers from the Franklin County Board of Elections.
For those who are choosing to vote by mail, mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Monday, Nov. 7 to be counted. If you can't make the deadline, you can drop it off in person at the board of elections to ensure your vote is counted.
“People should rest assured that when they drop that ballot off that it will be collected by a bi-partisan team,” said Sellers.
With 105 touchscreen voting machines to assist Franklin county voters, the line to vote is expected to move fast. Election officials say you can help the line move faster if you come prepared.
“If you know ahead of time what you are going to vote on, that will also make the line go faster,” said Sellers.
The Franklin County Board of Elections released the breakdown of voters as of Oct. 31:
- 14,296 Democrats have voted compared to 3,694 Republicans.
- 7,803 have voted as Independent.
- 37,631 have voted and 113,000 have voted absentee.