Voters who wish to take advantage of early voting can do so Saturday at the Hamilton County Courthouse.

The courthouse will be open Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the following Saturday, Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Voters can also cast ballots Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the courthouse.

A new dropbox for absentee ballots has been set up by the front door of courthouse and voters can drop off ballots there, or bring them inside to the County Auditor’s office if the voter prefers not to mail the ballot.

Absentee ballots have to be postmarked by Monday, Nov. 2 and be received no later than the following Monday. The ballots can also be returned to the courthouse on Election Day, Nov. 3, but cannot be returned to the polling sites.

The absentee ballots will be examined by the Absentee Ballot Board on Monday, Nov. 2 to make sure the envelopes are sealed and signed, according to County Auditor Kim Schaa. The envelopes will be opened and separated from the ballot and secrecy sleeve inside. Later the ballots are removed from the sleeve and locked in ballot boxes overnight. Tuesday morning, the Absentee Board will repeat the same procedure for any ballots that might have arrived in the mail or that were dropped off.

“Normally, what we do is run the ballots through the scanner on Election Day but don’t run any reports until after 9 p.m. when the polls close,” she said.

For those who still wish to register to vote, Schaa said the worry-free deadline is Oct. 24.

“Those registered by that date will appear on the voter rolls,” she said. “People can still register to vote at the polls, but they need to be aware they will need to provide an ID and proof of residency.”