Early Voting Presents Challenges for Local Races DAYTON, OH (WYSO) - In the race for the Presidential election, there's been a lot of time to get to know the candidates and the issues. But local elections historically kick into high gear in the month running up to the election. That's why the changes to Ohio's early voting and absentee laws add a new twist in their campaigns. For the first time, Ohioans can absentee vote in a Presidential race without giving a reason. It's expected that nearly one third of voters will cast their ballot this way.

Chair of the Republican Party in Montgomery County, Gregg Gantt, says that's he concerned that early voters won't have a chance to get to know who's running for office locally.

"The candidates at the local level just don't have the finances and the ability to campaign over a 30 day period of time, as opposed to that last week where you get your name in front of the voter," says Gantt.

This rings true for Democrats as well. Again, funding is the main concern. Mark Owens is the Chair of the Montgomery County Democrats.

"Unlike Presidential Campaigns, it takes a lot longer to get your money in and so [local candidates] spend most of the year trying to raise the money. Traditionally, people didn't pay attention to elections until after labor day," says Owens.

Both parties are now faced with how to get their message out to early voters. The Democrats use several strategies from phone banks, to sending information on their candidates to anyone requesting an absentee ballot. Owens says that every single candidate will be also knocking on doors.

"We will have people stationed at the board of elections every day during the time they're open so that when people come in and indicate they want to vote, we'll hand them a sample ballot, also," explains Owens.

For the Republicans, Gregg Gantt says it's business as usual for the local candidates,"they would be knocking on doors whether there's early voting or not."

But Gantt says that the local party is organizing a strategy to help the candidates get the word out.

"We've just created a whole brand new strategy. We used to call our program the 72 hour program which would be the last three days before the election and there were specific activities that we did during those 72 hours. I've rewritten the program and we call it the 720 hour program. We're doing different phone calls and mailings to campaign to these people that will probably be voting early," says Gantt.

Gantt wouldn't give more details on how those voters were targeted, but said that the candidates and the party are all working together to get out their message.

Seth Morgan is a Republican running for the Ohio House of Representatives. He says that early voting has created an opportunity and a challenge at the same time. Early voting helps his campaign know who the voters are.

"But it really hasn't changed dramatically our grass roots efforts that's been going on since, I believe, May, where we are actively in each of the communities working to introduce ourselves, not only to key individuals in each community, but also to voters right there at their front doorstep," says Morgan.

Morgan adds that effective campaigning also comes down to preparation,"if candidates are just starting to think about their ability to deliver a message and their activity in the individual communities in October, then they're probably not real serious about representing the people they claim they want to represent."

Despite ample preparation, others are finding it just comes down to their campaign budget. Democrat Willis Blackshear is the Montgomery County Recorder, and he says he's had to make some changes.

"You have to reprioritize what you feel is important. So as far as lit. pieces that we would normally [take] out into the community to walk and carry around to the different neighborhoods where registered voters are, I'm just cutting back in that area because those individuals who want those absentee ballots or who are going to early vote, those are people that you know are going to vote," says Blackshear.

He adds that there are positives for him as well. Blackshear sees early voting as a way to keep the lines shorter on election day, something that may have disenfranchised voters in the past. He feels the changes that he's made are well worth it.

"The inconvenience that it cost candidates, to me, is secondary to getting more people to turn out and vote," says Blackshear.

As for how this affects the outcome of the elections, it seems an issue that's affecting both parties equally. But that may be something that will become more clear after election day.
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