Ohio election officials are still getting calls regarding the 2020 election. Here's what they want you to understand:

Furthermore, no computer in the room where votes are tallied on election night has internet connectivity. The absence of internet is also responsible for the one-to-two hour delay in reporting absentee votes, which are already at the board of elections, and the first few precincts, according to Linser and elections Director Sherry Poland during a media tour Tuesday.

A fleet of 26 trucks transports voting equipment from polling places to the board of elections for tabulation. On election night, the first trucks normally don't arrive until 9:30 or 10:00 p.m.

From the counting room, an election official cannot post the results to the internet. There is no internet access. As a result, they must take a thumb drive to another computer in the building and post the results for public viewing.

Poll workers are divided into bipartisan teams.

During election season, those who work at the Hamilton County Board of Elections recite a mantra: "bipartisan teams."

A worker with the Hamilton County Board of Elections unlocks the door to the vote counting room in Norwood. albert cesare/the enquirer

If you view the educational films on the Hamilton County Board of Elections' website, you'll hear the phrase repeated several times.

Election officials want the public to understand that Republicans and Democrats share equal scrutiny. The Hamilton County Board of Elections has two Republicans and two Democrats on its four-member board.

To enter four rooms at the board of elections, both a Republican and a Democrat must use their passkey. This contains the polling place and the enormous, lockable cage where the ballots are kept. The rooms remain sealed unless both a Democrat and a Republican have their cards.

Bullhorns are not permitted.

People can begin voting early and in person on Oct. 12 at the Hamilton County Board of Elections' early voting location. Outside, though, there will be one slight difference. There will be no bullhorns for the politicians and their supporters outdoors in the parking lot. They were becoming too loud and could be heard in the polling booths, according to election authorities. As a result, the Hamilton County Board of Elections has prohibited them.

High voter participation and an increase in absentee ballots

Poland and Linser anticipate a strong turnout for a midterm election. In the 2018 midterm elections, 58% of Hamilton County voters cast ballots in the main election.

Based on absentee voting statistics, this election might have a substantially greater turnout. The Hamilton County Board of Elections had received 37,896 requests for absentee ballots as of Tuesday morning, 50 days before the election. At the same period last year, the board received 17,126 absentee ballot requests, representing a 121% increase.

Visit the Hamilton County Board of Elections at votehamiltoncountyohio.gov for additional information about voting.