CLEVELAND — With Election Day less than two weeks away, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is urging voters who have requested a mail-in ballot to return their ballot as soon as possible. 

Ballots for the Sept. 14 primary are required to be postmarked one day prior to Election Day, or returned in person to the Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Voters can also utilize a dropoff box at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. 

As of Thursday, 19,037 mail-in ballots have been requested. Of those ballots, 8,991 have been returned. Additionally, nearly 2,000 ballot applications were rejected for a variety of reasons, the majority being due to an election not being held in the voters’ precinct. 

According to the Board of Elections, 354,586 voters are eligible to vote in the Sept. 14 primary throughout the county, representing 40% of all voters in the county. 

The Board of Elections is also reminding voters who cast an in-person ballot to be prepared to display identification. Acceptable forms of identification include: an unexpired Ohio Driver’s License, State ID Card, Interim Documentation with your former address, Military ID, or current (within the last 12 months) utility bill, bank statement, government check, or paycheck with the voter’s name and present address, the Board of Elections said.

Polls will be open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14 and face coverings are encouraged due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Board of Elections, primaries are being held in all or parts of seven Cuyahoga County municipalities Sept. 14 — Bay Village, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, East Cleveland, Garfield Heights, Lakewood and Solon.

Information on how to vote early is available on the Board of Elections website.