Early voting is closed in Ohio: What turnout has looked like in Butler County

Early voting for the 2024 election officially ended in Ohio on Nov. 3. Across the state, places including Franklin and Cuyahoga counties had record turnout for voting prior to Election Day Nov. 5.

In Butler County, 34.6% of voters have already cast their ballots, either through in-person early voting or with absentee ballots, according to unofficial data from the Butler County Board of Elections. Roughly two thirds of those votes were in-person.

Turnout hit more than 50% in almost 20 precincts across the county, primarily in Fairfield Township and Liberty Township. In Fairfield Township 17, 66.9% of voters have already cast their ballots, nearing the county's overall turnout rate of 73.1% in the last presidential election. That year, Fairfield Township 17 had an overall turnout of 80%.

Six of the 10 precincts with the lowest early voter turnout so far are in Oxford, and four of those have yet to reach 10% turnout. Ohio counties are limited to one in-person early voting location at the Board of Elections office, which is roughly a 30-minute drive from Oxford. The four counties with less than 10% turnout are all centered on Miami University's campus or areas with high student housing rates.

Of the ballots cast so far in Butler County, 29.5% have come from registered Republicans, with 10.3% from registered Democrats. The majority of ballots cast have come from voters with other or no party affiliations.

According to the most recent voter records available through the Butler County Board of Elections, just 5.6% of voters in the county are registered as Democrats, while 19.2% are registered Republicans. Among registered Democrats, turnout prior to Election Day sits at 62.9%, while 53.1% of registered Republicans in the county have voted so far. Among unaffiliated voters, early and absentee turnout has been lower at 27.7%.