VIDEO: Absentee ballots must be carefully marked

Ohioans can cast absentee ballots by mail but they need to be sure they properly mark the ballot, elections officials say.

Voters should use black ink and completely fill in the oval beside the candidate they want to win the election.

MORE: How to make sure your vote counts: Don’t delay, follow instructions

Over the years local election officials have seen a variety of mistakes, including people using a check mark or X instead of of filling in the oval.

Sometimes a voter will change their mind after filling in the oval for one person and mark up the ballot to indicate they want to vote for a different person, perhaps by writing a note or scribbling out the first oval. Marking more than one oval in a race that only permits a single vote will cause that part of the ballot to not be counted, Montgomery County Board of Directions Director Jan Kelly said.

Voters who make a mistake should contact the board to get a replacement ballot and return the marred one.

Ohio’s General Election is Nov. 3. Absentee voting starts on Oct. 6.

To learn more see our full story on how to vote early by absentee ballot or in person.

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