State of Ohio Elections and Voting

Election Day is November 8

October 11 Deadline for voter registration
October 12 First day of early in-person voting
November 4 Deadline for election authority to receive absentee ballot requests
November 7 Last day of early in-person voting
November 7 Deadline to postmark absentee ballots
November 8 Election Day

You may register to vote in Ohio if:

You are a citizen of the United States
You will be 18 years old by election day
You will be resident of Ohio for 30 days before election day
You are not incarcerated (in prison or jail) for a felony conviction
You have not been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court
You have not been permanently disenfranchised for violating election laws

*An otherwise qualified person convicted of a misdemeanor may vote, and an otherwise qualified person who had been convicted of a felony may register and vote while on probation or parole, or after completing his or her jail or prison sentence. The voter registration of a person who is incarcerated on a felony conviction is cancelled; once that person has completed his or her jail or prison sentence, or is on probation, parole or community control, he or she must re-register to vote by the registration deadline before voting.

How to register to vote:

To register to vote online you will need to provide the following:

Ohio driver’s license or Ohio identification card number
Name
Date of Birth
Address
Last four digits of your Social Security number

If you do not have any portion of the required information, follow this link to update your voting address using our paper form (PDF). Once you complete this form, you must sign and send it to your county board of elections.

Voter ID Requirements

There are several types of valid identifications:

Photo ID: Any document issued by the U.S. government or the State of Ohio that includes ALL of the following is an acceptable photo identification:
- An expiration date that has not passed;
- A photograph of the voter;
- The voter’s name, which must substantially conform to the voter’s name as it appears in the Poll List or in the Poll Book; and
- The voter’s current address, which must substantially conform to the voter’s address as it appears in the Poll List or in the Poll Book UNLESS the ID is an Ohio driver’s license or state ID card.

Military ID: Valid military identification cards or copies of such cards must be accepted regardless of whether they contain a name or address. However, this form of ID must still allow a precinct election official to determine that it is the military ID card of the person who is presenting it for the purpose of voting.
Utility Bill: A utility bill is a statement of fees owed and/or paid for services, and includes, but is not limited to, water, sewer, electric, heating, cable, internet, telephone and cellular telephone services. A valid utility bill may show a $0.00 balance or no amount owed.
Bank Statement: A bank statement includes, but is not limited to, a statement from any financial or brokerage institution.
Government Check: A government check includes, but is not limited to, a paycheck, check stub or receipt provided for direct deposit of funds issued by any level of government (known as “political subdivision”) in Ohio, or for any other state, or the United States government.
Paycheck: A paycheck includes a paycheck, check stub or receipt provided for the direct deposit of wages or earnings from any public or private employer.

- For the forms of ID listed in 3-6 above, the following rules for determining their validity apply:
- The document may be a printout of an electronically transmitted copy or regular paper copy.
- The name and address on the document must conform to the voter’s information as it appears in the Poll Book.
- The document must be current within 12 months of the Election Day for which the voter is presenting it.

Other Government Document: Must contain the correct name and current address of voter.

Other government documents are acceptable forms of voter identification. A government document is a document that is issued by a government office, which includes any local (city, county, township and village government), state or federal government office, branch, agency, department, division or similar component, including a board, commission, public college or university or public community college, whether or not in Ohio. Examples of government documents include, but are not limited to, letters, tax bills, licenses, notices, court papers, grade reports, and transcripts.
The name and address on the government document must conform to the voter’s name as it appears in the Poll List or in the Poll Book.
The document must be current within 12 months of the Election Day for which the voter is presenting it for the purpose of voting or has on it an expiration date which has not passed as of the date of the election in which the voter seeks to vote.

Absentee Voting

All Ohio voters whose registration information is up-to-date have the opportunity to vote in any election from the convenience of their own homes by requesting an absentee ballot. To request an absentee ballot:

Print your request and mail it to your county board of elections
Call your board of elections to have an application mailed to you
Make your own application and mail it in

The deadline to request an absentee ballot is three days before the election in which you want to vote, but voters can submit their application any time. If mailed, absentee ballots must be postmarked by the day before the election in order to be counted. You can also return your absentee ballot in-person to your county board of elections before the close of the polls at 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.

Resources

Tribes in Ohio

Federally recognized tribes

None

State recognized tribes

None

Native Vote Coordinator(s):

Major Party Contact Information

Democrat
Chairperson, David Pepper
www.ohiodems.org

Republican
Chairperson, Jane Timken
www.ohiogop.org