Just under 16,000 people have trekked to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections to vote so far. Jane Platten, director of the agency, says workers have mailed out 222,000 vote by mail applications to date. Historically, 90 percent of those who get absentee ballots return them. So, with 783,000 registered voters in Cuyahoga County that actively vote, Platten says, a third of those voters could cast ballots before election day.
Jane Platten: This election has really been the first time that we have really encouraged persons to vote by mail or even to come down to the Board of Elections and vote early. We did it to some degree in November 2006 and March 2008. But this turnout has far exceeded either one of those elections.
Requests for early voting applications can be made up until the Saturday before the election. They must be postmarked by Nov. 3rd or delivered to the downtown office by the close of polls on election day. Mhari Saito, 90.3.