With just over a week before the election, over 350,000 votes have already been cast in the Special Election for Issue One, which will be held on August 8th.

According to a release from the Ohio Secretary of State, 355,483 early votes have so far been cast in a variety of ways:

• 100,989 absentee ballots have been returned by mail (including UOCAVA ballots)
• 6,841 ballots have been hand delivered to the boards of elections
• 15,853 ballots have been placed in secure drop boxes at Ohio's county boards
• 231,800 votes have been cast by in-person early voters

If you would like to vote early, there is still time. Windows are distributed across a range of days, including weekends, across the state. A complete list of early voting times and locations can be found here.

Alternatively, you can request an absentee ballot to vote by mail here. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is August 1st.

Secretary of State LaRose additionally stressed the security of Ohio's early voting processes, stating that "These requirements and processes, as well as strict laws against voter fraud, have made absentee voting secure in Ohio and instances of voter fraud exceedingly rare."

LaRose also encourages voters to learn more about how Ohio keeps our elections secure by visiting ElectionSecurity.Ohio.gov.