The Mahoning County Board of Elections said this is a busier than normal off-year election.
"It's been very busy compared to the 2006 governor's election," Mahoning County Board of Elections Deputy Director Joyce Kale-Pesta said. "We counted 14,000 absentees at that time and right now we're at 17,420."
The Board of Elections is expecting 25,000 absentee votes this year, and with the polls tightening up in the governors race, the Board of Elections doesn't expect a slow down in ballots anytime soon.
"It does show people are interested in the election because they wouldn't come in here and vote if they weren't," Kale-Pesta said. "So they don't want to forget to vote so they come early and vote."
Lieutenant Governor candidate Yvette McGee Brown said "vote early, vote often" is the right motto.
"We always believe that early voting is our friend," McGee-Brown said. "And we're telling everybody don't wait until November 2. Your car could break down, your child could be sick. Go vote now."
One of biggest criticisms of Governor Strickland is that Ohio lost 400,000 jobs under his administration, but McGee-Brown says the jobless rate in Ohio has improved for five straight months. That could be another reason Strickland could be making a late push to come back in the polls.
"We believe the economy is coming back. This Governor has really focused on jobs of the 21st century, clean and advanced energy and logistics. So we think that is helping a lot as well," she said.
The Mahoning and Trumbull County Board of Elections have extended hours for absentee and early voters from now until November 2.
