SpringfieldNewsSun.com

Springfield, Ohio — After nearly two years of presidential campaigning, ten months of hotly contested local races and three months of an unexpectedly bitter Clark County engineer's race for the Nov. 4 elections, today is finally the day.

It's Election Day.

Statewide, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is expecting an 80 percent voter turnout, with 25 percent of voter casting early votes.

In Clark County, 17,804 of 93,045 registered voters have requested absentee ballots, said Board of Elections Deputy Director Mary Beth Leep.

Leep doesn't expect polling results to begin to be released until late Tuesday night, or even later if Secretary of State Brunner issues a directive to hold the results.

"But that's just a guess," Leep said. "Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised."

For anyone who did not vote early, here are a few tips on how to handle what could be a long day today:

• Be patient. With such a heavy voter turnout expected, the lines are expected to be long.

* More voters usually come out in good weather and today, the forecast is a pleasant high near 72 degrees.

• Go with your ID. It can be a state-issued ID or driver's license, military ID, or something with your current address on it, such as utility bill, bank statement, government check, payroll or check stub. It cannot be anything issued from your local board of elections.

• You don't have to vote for the party that you declared during the primary. Everyone gets the same ballot; unlike the primaries, all candidates will be listed on the ballots issued today, whether Democratic, Republican, Independent, Green, etc. You may vote for whomever you wish.

• Read the instructions on the ballot to be sure you are marking the ballots correctly so the machine can read it.

• Do not wear clothing for or against a particular candidate. You will not be issued allowed to vote if you do.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0374 or boutten@coxohio.com.