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Early voting begins in Ohio, Kasich prepares

Posted at 7:41 PM, Feb 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-17 19:41:23-05

As early voting gets underway in Ohio you won't find the airwaves flooded with a non stop barrage already of political commercials even though roughly a third of buckeye voters will have locked in their votes prior to the March 15 primary.

That's partially because between today and March 15, 22 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will have held their respective primaries and caucuses, but it's also because in the high tech world of today's politics the campaigns and their Super PACs don't have to take a buckshot approach to hitting their target but laser in on their likely voters.

The campaigns know the Secretary of State's office what voters, in which parties, have asked to have absentee ballots mailed out and they are in a position to target them directly.

Much as they did in New Hampshire and in South Carolina, New Day for America, the Super PAC supporting Governor John Kasich, announced they will follow the same aggressive blueprint in Ohio.

New Day  had a phone bank in Columbus up and running since August but it will be supplemented with additional phone banks that will be up and running by Saturday in Cuyahoga and Delaware counties along with others in Akron, Canton, Toledo and Cincinnati.

In addition, they plan on leading door-to-door efforts in key areas of the state using the army of volunteers that helped Kasich in his 2014 landslide re-election victory.

Just as the case was in New Hampshire, many believe ground game will be key in Ohio, a state which is the first of the winner take all contests in the Republican race for president.

Hours for early voting in Ohio are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through March 4 at the Board of Elections, weekdays March 7-11 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. as well as Saturdays, March 5 & 12, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, March 13, from 1-5 p.m.