Ohio Election Laws Q & A
Does everyone who wants to vote in Ohio have to be registered to vote here?
Yes.
How do I know whether I am qualified to register and to vote in Ohio?
You are qualified to register to vote in Ohio if you meet all the following requirements:
- You are a citizen of the United States.
- You will be at least 18 years old on or before the day of the 2006 general election. If you will turn 18 after the May 2 primary election but on or before the November 7 general election, you may vote in the primary election for nominees to be elected on November 7. (You must be 18 years old to vote on issues or to elect political party committee members.)
- You will be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days immediately before the election in which you want to vote.
- You are not incarcerated (in prison) for a felony conviction under the laws of this state, another state or the United States.
- You have not been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court.
- You are registered to vote in Ohio at least 30 consecutive days before the election.
How is voting residency determined?
Ohio election officials use rules set forth in law (R.C. 3503.02) to determine a person’s qualifying voting address. Under those rules, your voting residence is the place in which your permanent habitation is fixed and to which, whenever you leave, you intend to return. You must intend your residence in the county to be permanent, not temporary. You will not lose your voting residency in Ohio if you leave temporarily and intend to return, unless you are absent from the state for four consecutive years. (Exception: You will not lose your residency after four years if your absence from Ohio is due to your employment with the government of this state or the United States, including military service, unless you vote in, or permanently move to, another state.)
May a student register and vote from the student’s school address in Ohio?
Yes, a student may vote using the student’s Ohio school residence address if both:
- the school residence is the place in which the student’s permanent habitation is fixed and to which, whenever the student leaves, the stu- dent intends to return, and
- the student intends to reside permanently in the Ohio county in which the school residence address is located.
How can I obtain an Ohio voter registration application?
You may obtain a form in person, and register in person, at any of the following locations:
- The office of the Secretary of State (click for online request) or any of the 88 county boards of elections.
- The office of any deputy registrar of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
- Offices of designated agencies that provide public assistance or disability programs.
- Public libraries.
- Public high schools or vocational schools.
- County treasurers’ offices.
You also may ask a county board of elections (click for online directory) or the Secretary of State’s office (click for online request) to mail a registration form to you.
Where can I register to vote?
When must I register?
Ohio has a 30-day voter registration deadline. If you register to vote by mail, your properly completed and signed registration application must be mailed to the office of a county board of elections (click for online directory) or the office of the Secretary of State and must be postmarked not later than the 30th day before the first election in which you want to vote.
If you do not mail your registration application directly to election officials, it must be delivered to a county board of elections, the office of the Secretary of State, a public library, high school or vocational school, Bureau of Motor Vehicles deputy registrar, county treasurer’s office or designated agency not later than the registration deadline for the first election in which you want to vote.
Do I declare my political party affiliation when I register?
No. Under Ohio law, your political party affiliation is determined by the ballot you cast in a partisan primary election.
What if I change my address or name after registering to vote in Ohio?
If you are an Ohio voter who moved within this state or changed your name, you must report the change to election officials by submitting – in person at the locations discussed above or by mail – a properly completed and signed form showing your former and new addresses and/or names.
May I vote if I have been convicted of a crime?
As noted under “Voter Eligibility,” above, a person currently serving time in prison for a felony conviction cannot register to vote or vote. Additionally, a person who has twice been convicted of a violation of the elections laws is permanently barred from voting in Ohio. An otherwise qualified person convicted of a misdemeanor may vote, and one convicted of a felony may register and vote while on probation or parole or after being released from prison.
What happens after I submit my voter registration application?
If the board of elections accepts your voter registration application, the board will mail a notice to your voting residence address confirming that you are registered to vote, identifying your voting precinct and stating the location of your precinct polling place.
If the board does not accept your registration application, it will immediately mail you a notice stating why your application was rejected and requesting you to provide whatever information or verification is necessary to complete your application.
If you do not receive a notice that your registration was accepted or rejected, please contact your county board of elections (click for online directory) before election day to determine if the board received your application.
Can I check the status of my voter registration online?
Some, but not all, county boards of elections (click for online directory) link their Web sites to their voter registration files that allow people to determine if they are registered to vote.
Absentee Voting
Absentee voting begins 35 days before primary and general elections and – except for voters hospitalized due to emergencies, discussed under “Absentee Deadlines,” below – ends the day before the election. (Absentee voting need not begin 35 days before a special election. You may contact your county board of elections to learn if a special election is being held in your precinct and, if so, when absentee ballots will be available.)
Once absentee ballots are available for voting, an absentee voter may either vote in person at the county board of elections office, or receive and return the absentee ballot via U.S. Mail.
Am I eligible to vote by absentee ballot?
A qualified Ohio voter does not have to state a reason to vote by an absentee ballot, although the ballot must be applied for in writing. If you are properly registered to vote, you must submit your written request to the board of elections of the county in which your voting residence is located. Your request must contain certain information (discussed below) and your original signature. You may, but are not required to, use the application form prescribed by the Ohio Secretary of State (Form 11-A).
How do I apply for an absentee ballot?
Ohio law has separate application processes, described below, for different voters:
“Regular” (other than militia, armed services, overseas or provisional voters).
Your written application for the absentee ballot need not be in any particular form, but it must contain all of the following information (click here for the Secretary of State's application to request a ballot in PDF):
- Your name;
- Your signature;
- The address at which you are registered to vote;
- Your date of birth;
- One of the following:
- Your driver's license number; or
- The last four digits of your social security number; or
- A copy of your current and valid photo identification or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.
- A statement identifying the election for which absent voter's ballots are requested;
- A statement that you are a qualified elector;
- If the request is for a primary election ballot, your political party affiliation; and
- If you want the ballots to be mailed, the address to which you want them mailed.
Active duty members of the organized militia (the Ohio Air National Guard, Ohio Army National Guard, Ohio Naval Militia and Ohio Military Reserve, collectively).
If you are on active duty with Ohio’s organized militia, your written application must contain all the information required of “regular” absentee voters (above) and either the address to which the ballot is to be mailed or the fax number to which it is to be faxed. Alternatively, an absentee application may be submitted on your behalf by one of the following relatives: your spouse, father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, grandfather, grandmother, brother or sister of the whole blood or half blood, son, daughter, adopting parent, adopted child, stepparent, stepchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece. Your relative must use the application prescribed by the Secretary of State (Form 11-C click here for form 11-C in PDF) and provided by the board of elections. This application, which must be signed and sworn to by your relative (“the applicant”), must contain all the following information:
- Your full name;
- A statement that you are a qualified elector in the county;
- The address at which you are registered to vote;
- Your date of birth;
- One of the following:
- Your driver's license number; or
- The last four digits of your social security number; or
- A copy of the your current and valid photo identification or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.
- A statement identifying the election for which the absentee ballot is requested;
- A statement that you are a member of the organized militia serving on active duty outside your Ohio county of residence;
- If the request is for a primary election ballot, your political party affiliation;
- A statement specifying the applicant’s relationship to you;
- The address to which ballot is to be mailed or fax number to which it is to be faxed;
- The signature and address of the person making the application; and
- The applicant’s notarized statement attesting to the validity of the application.
Absentee Deadlines
To receive your absentee ballot:
- By mail: Unless you are a member of the U.S. armed forces, you must mail your properly completed absentee ballot application bearing your original signature to the board of elections for the county in which your voting residence is located. The board must receive your request by noon on the Saturday before the election. However, you should submit your request as far in advance of the election as possible.
- By fax: If you are a member of the U.S. armed forces or organized state militia, you may fax your absentee ballot request to the board of elections in which your voting residence is located. The board must receive your request by noon on the Saturday before the election. You may request that the board fax your ballot to you, but you must return your marked ballot by mail. (click here for an online directory of Ohio county boards of elections)
- In person: You may go to the board of elections office during regular business hours after absentee ballots are available for voting, but no later than the day before the election, and request, receive and immediately vote your ballot at the board office.
- In hospital on election day: Regardless of where you are hospitalized, you must submit a properly completed and signed request to the board of elections of the county in which your voting residence is located by 3 p.m. on election day. To be eligible under this provision, you must be confined in a hospital because of an unforseeable medical emergency. Your application must specify where, why and when you came to be hospitalized. If you are hospitalized in the same county where you are registered to vote, two representatives of the board of elections can deliver the ballot to you and return it to the board office. You may include in your absentee ballot application a request that your county board of elections give your unmarked ballot to a designated relative – your spouse, father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, grandfather, grandmother, brother, sister, son, daughter, adopted parent, adopted child, stepparent, stepchild, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece – who shall deliver the ballot to you in the hospital and return it to the board office after you have voted it.
For your absentee ballot to be counted, it must be received as follows:
- If cast from anywhere in the United States, whether returned in person or by mail, your ballot must be received by your county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on election day.
- If properly returned from out-of-country, your ballot must be received by your county board of elections not later than the 10th day after the election.
Provisional Voting
- If you are an Ohio voter who moves from one Ohio precinct to another Ohio precinct and does not submit your change of address to election officials by the 29th day before the election, you still may vote in that election by taking the appropriate steps described below:
- If you move from one precinct to another in the same Ohio county, you may report the change and vote using one of the following procedures:
- During the 28 days immediately before the election, go to your county board of elections office, submit a proper change of address, and vote a provisional ballot for your new voting address.
- On election day, go to one of the following three places: the polling place in the precinct in which your new voting address is located, the board of elections office, or a site designated by that board of elec- tions; submit a proper change of address, and vote a provisional ballot for your new voting address.
- If you move from the Ohio county in which you are registered to vote to another Ohio county, you may report the change and vote using one of the following procedures:
- During the 28 days immediately before the election, go to the board of elections office in the county in which you now reside, submit a prop- er change of address, and vote a provisional ballot for your new voting address.
- On election day, go to one of the following two places: the board of elections office in the county in which you now reside or a site desig- nated by that board of elections; submit a proper change of address, and vote a provisional ballot for your new voting address.
- In accordance with federal law, if you registered to vote by mail and did not provide the required identification information, and you are unable to provide the proper identification prior to voting, you may vote a provisional ballot at the polling place on election day for federal office. You will be required to complete a written affirmation prior to voting.
If your name does not appear on the poll list in an election for federal office or an election offical asserts that you are not eligible to vote, you will be allowed to cast a provisional ballot at the polling place after completing a written affirmation.
- If you have requested an absentee ballot and have not received it, you may cast a provisional ballot at the polling place on election day.
Source: Ohio Secretary of State
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