COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio will hold not one but two elections before the end of the year, and Ohioans wanting to vote in August have less than one week left to register.
Just one issue will be on the ballot in August, asking voters whether to make it harder to amend the state constitution. November’s ballot will feature local elections — including for mayor and city council in Columbus — and likely initiatives on at least two issues, including abortion and marijuana.
But if you’re not registered to vote, you can’t cast a ballot in either. If you register in time for the August election, you shouldn’t have to re-register come November, although it’s always a good idea to check your voter registration status here.
Early voting starts Tuesday, July 11, so the last day to register to vote or change any information on your registration — such as a voting address if you moved since the last time you voted — is Monday, July 10.
According to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Ohioans are eligible to register to vote if they are:
- A citizen of the U.S.
- At least 18 years old on or before Election Day
- An Ohio resident for at least 30 days before Election Day. That includes in-state and out-of-state college students and others who may have recently relocated from another state
- Not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction
- Not barred or disenfranchised from voting, either by a court or after being found in violation of election laws
The state gives residents three ways to register: online, by mail, or at their county board of elections.
Online
Ohio allows many residents who are eligible to vote to register entirely online, as long as they have their state driver’s license or identification card number. If you want to register online, you will also need to fill out your name, date of birth, current address, and the last four digits of your Social Security number.
To register online, click here.
By mail
For anyone wanting to register by mail, including residents who may not have a state driver’s license or identification card, the form to register is here.
Make sure to fill out all of the required fields, date the form, and sign it before you mail it back to the county board of elections where you’re registering to vote. Mailed registration forms have to be postmarked by the July 10 deadline. The mailing address for each county board of elections is here.
At the board of elections
Anyone can also visit the board of elections in their county in person to fill out a voter registration form. To check out the hours for your board of elections, click here.
Early voting, mail-in voting, Election Day
Early voting kicks off next Tuesday, July 11, and runs through Aug. 6, with Election Day set as Aug. 8. The full calendar for early voting hours is available here, and on Election Day, polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
In order to vote in-person, either before or on Election Day, you are now required to show photo identification under House Bill 458 — which Gov. Mike DeWine signed in December of last year. Valid photo ID, according to LaRose’s website, include:
- Ohio driver’s license
- State of Ohio ID card
- Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- U.S. military ID card
- Ohio National Guard ID card
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
Ohio also offers voting by mail through an absentee ballot. You are required to submit an application prior to voting absentee, which is available here. Just like early voting, mail-in voting begins next Tuesday and ends Aug. 7, which is the latest that ballots can be postmarked.
