Here’s the information for Ohio voters about voting in the upcoming General Presidential Election on November 8, 2016.
Important Dates
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/Voters/votingSchedule.aspx
Election Date: November 8 - polls open from 6:30am to 7:30pm
Registration Deadline: October 11
Military & Overseas voting begins: September 24
Early In-person voting begins: October 12 - includes the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before Election day
**Absentee Ballot voting begins: ** October 12
Register to Vote
Ohio Registration forms may be found here:
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/publications.aspx#G2V
You can register to vote in person at any of the following locations:
At any county board of elections or the Secretary of State’s office.
At public libraries.
At the offices of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
At any public high school or vocational school.
By mail.
Offices of designated agencies including:
The Department of Job and Family Services;
The Department of Health (including the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program);
The Department of Mental Health;
The Department of Developmental Disabilities;
The Rehabilitation Services Commission; or
Any state-assisted college or university that provides assistance to disabled students.
You can also register with an online form, that you will need to print out and mail to your county Board of elections.
Here’s the registration form -
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/publications.aspx#vrf
And here’s the directory, that lists the address for the Board of Elections in each county -
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/electionsofficials/boeDirectory.aspx
You will need to provide your valid Ohio Driver’s License number or the last four digits of your social security number.
English and Non-English forms are also available here:
http://www.eac.gov/voter_resources/register_to_vote.aspx
Check Your Current Registration
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/Upload/sites/ballotTracking/ballotTracking.aspx?page=20547
You can check that your current registration is still up to date or make any needed changes at that link above.
The Registration Deadline is October 11.
Voting Absentee
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections/Voters/FAQ/AbsenteeFAQs.aspx
Note: Military and Overseas Absentee Voters go here -> www.OhioMilitaryVotes.com
If you’re not Military or Overseas, you can still request an Absentee Ballot. In fact, Early In-person Voting in Ohio is essentially an absentee ballot that you fill out at the Election Board.
You can get an Absentee Ballot Request Form, in English or Spanish, here:
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/publications.aspx#abr
Or you can fill out this webform, print out the resulting PDF and mail that -
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/upload/autoform/absentee_autoform.aspx?page=3870
You will need to provide your Ohio Driver’s license number or the last four digits of your social security number.
The Absentee Ballot by Mail Deadline: Your Ballot must be postmarked by Midnight on November 7
You know what the Post Office is like. Don’t wait until the last minute to put this in mail.
If you prefer, you can drop off your Absentee Ballot in person at your county Board of Elections. The Deadline for hand delivered Absentee Ballots is 7:30pm, November 8
Voting In Person
Those wishing to vote in person must present yourselves on Tuesday, November 8, between 6:30am and 7:30pm.
Use this Voter Registration Check form to make sure your info is upt-to-date and to check the location of your particular voting booth.
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/Upload/sites/ballotTracking/ballotTracking.aspx?page=20547
Please be sure that you have appropriate ID, as explained here:
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/Voters/FAQ/ID.aspx
The forms of identification that may be used by a voter who appears at a polling place to vote on Election Day include
An unexpired Ohio driver’s license or state identification card with present or former address so long as the voter’s present residential address is printed in the official list of registered voters for that precinct;
A military identification;
A photo identification that was issued by the United States government or the State of Ohio, that contains the voter’s name and current address and that has an expiration date that has not passed;
An original or copy of a current utility bill with the voter’s name and present address;
An original or copy of a current bank statement with the voter’s name and present address;
An original or copy of a current government check with the voter’s name and present address;
An original or copy of a current paycheck with the voter’s name and present address; or
An original or copy of a current other government document (other than a notice of voter registration mailed by a board of elections) that shows the voter’s name and present address.
FAQs & Links
For future reading - see here:
Ohio Voter portals -
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections/Voters.aspx
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/Upload/sites/ballotTracking/ballotTracking.aspx?page=20547
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections.aspx
Voters with Disabilities info -
http://www.eac.gov/voter_resources/resources_for_voters_with_disabilities.aspx