STEUBENVILLE — The Jefferson County Board of Elections will begin mailing Absentee-By-Mail ballots that have been requested by Jefferson County Voters on Oct. 6, said Frankie DiCarlantonio, board member of the Jefferson County Board of Elections.

The Jefferson County Board of Elections has already received more than 9,200 valid applications to be mailed a ballot, a number that has already surpassed the entire 2016 Election Cycle by close to 3,000.

“We have had an influx of absentee by mail requests due to COVID-19, but we have the supplies and manpower to ensure that ballots are sent out in a timely manner,” commented DiCarlantonio. “Ballots are mailed out on a first-come, first-serve basis, so we anticipate the bulk of the ballots being mailed out within a couple of days after they are allowed to be mailed out.”

In-person absentee voting (also known as “Early Voting”) will begin on Oct. 6 and residents of Jefferson County may begin voting at the Jefferson County Board of Elections located at 500 Market Street in Steubenville. Voters may vote from Oct. 6 until Nov. 2 at the Jefferson County Board of Elections. The full schedule can be found at VoteOhio.Gov.

“Early voting is a great option for individuals that wish to cast their ballot in person, yet be able to be in a controlled environment due to COVID-19,” commented Diane Gribble, director of the Jefferson County Board of Elections. “Our office will be cleaned on a frequent schedule and items used by voters will be sanitized in between uses.”

The deadline to request a ballot by mail is Oct. 31 by noon.

“Although the deadline is on Oct. 31, we recommend that you request your ballot much earlier than that in order to allow processing time to get the ballot mailed to you and give you adequate time to get it returned to our office,” DiCarlantonio said.

“Voters still have three options available to them in order to vote for the November General Election: Early In-Person, Absentee By Mail, and in-person on Election Day on Nov. 3,” said Gribble.

For questions pertaining to voting, people are encouraged to visit VoteOhio.Gov or call the Jefferson County Board of Elections at 740-283-8522.