More than 54,000 Franklin County voters have a different assigned polling location for the Nov. 3 election.

The Franklin County Board of Elections mailed notifications to 54,645 registered voters whose assigned polling site has changed for the general election, according to a board press release dated Oct. 15. The reasons vary. Storm damage closed the Barack Recreation Center on Columbus' south side. Other sites had scheduling conflicts.

For voters near New Albany, one change stands out: Five14 Church on North Hamilton Road, which served precincts Columbus 73-G and 73-L, will no longer serve those two precincts. Those voters will go to New Albany Presbyterian Church at 5885 E. Dublin Granville Road.

Nearby in Blacklick, voters in Jefferson Township precincts D, F, H and I are moving from Eastpointe Christian Church to Grace Fellowship Church Jefferson Campus at 3600 N. Waggoner Road.

In all, the board lists 22 polling-location changes.

Franklin County will operate 298 total polling sites on Election Day. Board of Elections Director Antone White urged voters in the Oct. 15 press release to verify their assigned location before heading to the polls, even if they have voted at the same place for years. The board said it will post signs at former polling sites directing voters to the new ones.

The changes come amid a surge in early voting. Through Oct. 14, 22,436 voters had cast ballots at the early voter center at 1700 Morse Road, according to the board's press release. That number had climbed to roughly 25,000 as of WBNS's Oct. 20 report, with more than 3,000 voters showing up each day.

"We're voting over 3,000 people a day! Voters are coming out, and you have competitive state races! And we haven't seen that in Ohio in quite some time," White told WBNS.

The Barack Recreation Center, which served five precincts, remains closed after an August tornado damaged its roof and warped its gymnasium floor, ABC 6 reported Sept. 30. Those voters will go to Lincoln Park Elementary School at 579 E. Markison Ave. in Columbus.

Early in-person voting at 1700 Morse Road runs through Nov. 1. The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 8:30 p.m. Absentee ballots must reach the board by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. A postmark alone does not count.

Voters can check their assigned polling location at the Franklin County Board of Elections website or by calling 614-525-3100. Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.