More early in-person voting hours

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

With just over a week to go until the November 5 general election, extended early in-person voting hours are being offered locally and statewide.

Registered voters in Van Wert County may submit ballots in person ahead of the election at the Van Wert County Board of Elections Office, 1362 E. Ervin Rd., Van Wert, on the following days and hours:

• Today, October 28: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 29: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Wednesday-Friday, October 30-November 1: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, November 2: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Sunday, November 3: 1-5 p.m.

Voting hours on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, will be 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.

A valid photo ID is required to vote. Any one of these types of identification will meet the requirement and will be accepted: a valid Ohio driver’s license, State of Ohio ID card, an interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV, a U.S. passport, a U.S. passport card, a U.S. military ID card, an Ohio National Guard ID card or a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card.

A strong voter turnout is expected due to the race for president of the United States. A number of in-person ballots have already been cast in Van Wert County.

There is a local race and a Congressional race on the ballot: Incumbent State Representative Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland) is running against Democratic challenger Magdalene Markward (D-Van Wert). The 82^nd District includes all of Van Wert, Paulding and Putnam counties, along with the southern portion of Defiance County.

Incumbent U.S. Congressman Bob Latta (R-5^th District) is seeking his ninth full two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He’s being challenged by Democrat Keith Mundy, a retiree from Parma. Latta represents Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District, which stretches from Van Wert, Paulding and Mercer counties eastward into Lorain County.

Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown is seeking re-election. His challengers are Republican Bernie Moreno and Libertarian Don Kissick. There are also three Ohio Supreme Court Justice races on the ballot – incumbent Democrat Michael Donnelly and Republican challenger Megan Shanahan, and incumbent Republican Joseph Deters and Democratic challenger Melody Stewart, along with a race featuring two newcomers, Republican Daniel Hawkins and Democrat Lisa Forbes.

A number of current Republican Van Wert County officeholders are running opposed, including Van Wert County Commissioners Todd Wolfrum and Stan Owens, Prosecuting Attorney Eva Yarger, Clerk of Courts Cindy Mollenkopf, Sheriff Tom Riggenbach, County Recorder Kim Hughes, County Treasurer Jeff McIntosh, County Engineer Kyle Wendel, Coroner Scott Jarvis, and Van Wert County Common Pleas Court Judge Martin Burchfield.

One statewide issue and 13 local issues are on the ballot but with the exception of State Issue 1, none of the issues are in the City of Van Wert.