I was one of more than two million Ohioans who requested a mail-in ballot. In spite of what "Herr Pendejo" says, there is no difference between an absentee ballot and a mail-in ballot, and in Ohio all registered voters are allowed to vote by mail.
On Friday, I received my ballot in the mail. On Sunday I carefully filled it out. On Monday I drove to downtown Cleveland to drop my ballot in the box at the county Board of Elections rather than send it by mail. This year was the first time I have voted by mail, but I have been to the Board of Elections numerous times for early voting since I am usually in Mexico on Election Day. It's always been very easy. I just take the interstate highway to an exit which is only a block away from the Board. However, as soon as I got off the interstate I saw that this was going to be a much different scenario than in the past.
The traffic was backed up on the exit ramp. Two policewomen were directing traffic onto Chester Avenue, which was also jammed with traffic. One short block away at West 30th Street, where the Board of Elections is located, another policeman was directing traffic. It took me at least twenty minutes from the time I left the highway until I got to the Board.
Because Monday was a federal holiday... Columbus Day... I figured that the Board would be closed and that I would simply deposit my ballot in the 24 hour drop box located in the parking lot behind the Board building. But to my surprise the Board was open, so you had people coming to vote in person as well as those who were dropping off their ballots. The small Board parking lot was closed, but a large parking lot across the street was made available for those who came to vote. For those dropping off ballots, election personnel were on the sidewalk, taking the ballots, putting them in a box, and handing out stickers.
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