Franklin County board ‘tweaks’ process to speed up voting lines

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) - The last day of early voting for the November General Election is this Sunday. The Franklin County Board of Elections is open that day from 1-5 p.m. and if the August Special Election is any indicator, you may want to show up early to get in line.

Videos were floating around social media that showed the line to vote circle back all the way around the building. Some folks waited hours to cast their ballot.

"We obviously had some lines up here. We did do a few things, we tweaked, we moved the room that the early vote center is in. We added a couple more stations, check-in stations. And we added some more machines. But we streamlined some things and it's certainly faster," Aaron Sellers, Public Information Officer for the Franklin County Board of Elections, said.

While those tweaks may improve the speed and efficiency of the process, Sellers said voter preparedness is another key to getting people through the process quickly. 

"What we hope to is that they're familiarized, they know what they're going to vote for when they get here, because typically what we like is we like to get voter in 3 to 6 minutes," he said. "That way, it's a good flow and we can get more people in. The hope is to get people in and they know what they're going to vote on, they cast their ballot, we get them in, we get them out, and we go on to the next person."

Early voting is still open Thursday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.

"Generally, Sunday is the busiest because it's the most compressed," Sellers said. "It's 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. If folks come up here to vote, they will be able to cast their ballot."