County’s pre-election voting totals top 2020

NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (Oct. 23, 2024) – As we close in on election day, early in-person and absentee voting turnout in Tuscarawas County has already surpassed the total from four years ago.
As of Tuesday morning, Tuscarawas County Board of Elections Director Gail Garbrandt and her staff had welcomed just over 4,000 early voters and received around 12,000 mail-in ballots.
“In 2020, our early vote combined with absentee was 15,000. We’re already at over 16,000, and we still have a lot of time left.”
Early voting continues at the courthouse daily from 8 am to 6 pm through Friday, Saturday from 8 to 4, and Sunday from 1 until 5, with extended evening hours beginning next week. Garbrandt says it has also been going a lot smoother than in 2020
“We are able to have five machines out there where in 2020 we were in the middle of a pandemic. There were only two, and that’s why the lines got so long.”
Starting Monday, early voting will be available around the clock on weekdays – from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm – closing an hour later on Tuesday, which is the deadline for absentee ballot requests. Garbrandt says ballots being mailed must be postmarked by Election Day and only require one stamp.