Buckeye Reporter

Lt. Gov. John Husted (R-Ohio) urged Republican Ohio voters on Wednesday to "get out there and vote early."

"I want to do what President Trump's asking us to do, to swamp your vote, because we want everybody across the country and in the state of Ohio to get out there and vote early so that their voices, their votes are locked in, then the campaign can then move on to make sure that they're focusing resources on people who may not have gotten out and voted," Husted told Fox News. "It's a really important part of the campaign strategy."

Former President Donald Trump (R) and the Republican National Committee (RNC) have launched a “Swamp the Vote” campaign, asking voters to vote early, absentee, by mail, or in person on Election Day.

“Republicans must win and we must use every available appropriate tool to beat the Democrats,” said Trump said in a video announcing the “Swamp the Vote” effort. “Whether you vote early, absentee, by mail or in person, we must swamp the radical Democrats with massive turnout.”

Trump is facing Vice President Kamala Harris (D) in the upcoming election. President Joe Biden was previously running for re-election alongside Harris before dropping out of the race and endorsing her as his replacement. 

Early absentee voting in Ohio began on Oct. 8., and registered voters in Ohio may cast an early in-person ballot at their county board of elections. Voters can visit the Ohio Secretary of State website to find the early in-person voting location in their county.

"If you want to vote on Election Day, that's fine," Husted said. "But we're encouraging those who are willing to vote early because once the campaigns know you voted, they can devote their resources to turning out people who haven't voted. The system of elections here in Ohio is a place where we make it easy to vote and hard to cheat and when you get that done early, you can know that the system is working for you and that you can encourage your friends and neighbors to go out and get it done."

Husted was first elected Lt. Gov. of Ohio in the 2019 General Election. He previously was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008, where he served as House Speaker from 2005 to 2008. He also was the Ohio Secretary of State, elected in 2010 until he became Lt. Gov. 

Before his political career, Husted served as Vice President of Economic Development at the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce. He has also held positions with the University of Dayton in various capacities. Husted earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in communications from the University of Dayton. He resides in Columbus, Ohio, with his family.