In September, after Secretary of State Frank LaRose's proposition to make voting in the state easier by prepaying for mail-in ballot postage was denied by the Ohio Controlling Board, he said: “Ohio has a sound elections system, but today was another missed opportunity by the legislature to make a small change, without an impact on our state budget, that would yield a big improvement. Ohio voters have 216 hours to vote early in person from October 6 through November 2, 13 hours to vote on Election Day, or they can request an absentee ballot by mail and it will be sent to them beginning October 6. Make a plan. Don’t procrastinate. Make sure your voice is heard.”
Ok. So let's break down those 216 hours during which you can vote from Oct. 6-Nov. 2, as well as Election Day (Nov. 3) voting options and mail-in voting by absentee ballot. (Here's the entire Ohio voting calendar: ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/current-voting-schedule.)
Basics
First: Make sure you're registered to vote. Check your Ohio voter registration and find your Election Day polling place at voterlookup.ohiosos.gov. If you aren't registered or need to update your address information, you must do so by Oct. 5. You can easily hop online here to do that olvr.ohiosos.gov — all you need is:
- Ohio driver’s license or Ohio identification card number
- Name
- Date of Birth
- Address
- Last four digits of your Social Security number
When you go to vote, you are obviously encouraged to wear a mask, but you can also call each location in advance to request any specific COVID guidance. Here are the CDC's guidelines for healthy voting.
And, to vote early or on Election Day, you need to bring an acceptable form of ID with you: Any photo ID issued by the U.S. government or the State of Ohio with your image, name and current address; a military ID, a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document with your name and current address.
Note: Passports are not a valid form of ID and, due to COVID-19, drivers licenses or state identification cards that were set to expire on or after March 9, 2020 have been automatically extended and will remain valid through the Nov. 3, 2020 General Election.
Early Voting
Starting Oct. 6, you may vote early in person on the following dates and times:
- Monday-Friday, Oct. 6-16: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Monday-Friday, Oct. 19-23: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 24: 8-4 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 25: 1-5 p.m.
- Monday-Friday, Oct. 26-30: 8 a.m-7 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 1: 1-5 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 2: 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Ok. Great. But where do you vote? You can vote early in person at your county board of elections, which you can find at ohiosos.gov.
Here's the info for some nearby Ohio counties:
- Hamilton County Board of Elections: 4700 Smith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45212. Telephone: 513-632-7000. The Hamilton County BOE also has bus routes and driving directions listed at votehamiltoncountyohio.gov.
- Butler County Board of Elections: Princeton Road Campus, 1802 Princeton Road, Suite 600, Hamilton, OH 45011. Telephone: 513-887-3700
- Clermont County Board of Elections: 76 S. Riverside Drive, Batavia, OH 45103. Telephone: 513-732-7275
- Warren County Board of Elections: 520 Justice Drive, Lebanon, OH 45036. Telephone: 513-695-1358
Absentee Voting aka Voting by Mail
There are three ways to request your ballot to vote by mail (if it wasn't already mailed to you):
- Fill out and print a request form and then mail it to your local board of elections;
- Request online or by phone to have one mailed to you;
- or make your own dang ballot request and mail it in (guidelines on how to do that here).
After your ballot request is received, a ballot will be mailed to you. Fill out that ballot and mail it back, or drop it in the dropbox at your county board of elections.
Two tips from Secretary of State LaRose:
- Don’t wait. Because of processing at the county board of elections and the time necessary for the United States Postal Service to deliver elections mail, voters should not procrastinate – fill out and mail your absentee ballot request as soon as possible.
- Track your ballot. Once their ballot request is received by their county board of elections, voters may track their ballot at VoteOhio.gov/Track. As long as your ballot is postmarked by the day before the election and received within 10 days after the election at your county board of elections, your vote will be tabulated. Track your ballot at ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/ballot-tracking.
LaRose also has notes about the safety and security of mail-in voting: ohiosos.gov.
Vote on Election Day
Election Day takes place 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Nov. 3.
To find out where you need to vote in your precinct, visit ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit. And bring one of the above acceptable forms of ID with you.
Note: If you have requested a mail-in ballot and received it but you want to instead vote on Election Day, you must tell them that and vote by provisional ballot. (If you have already requested an absentee ballot, vote that way. And if you don't want to mail it in, you can literally just drop it in the dropbox at the BOE.)
LaRose has come up with guidance for polling day safety at ohiosos.gov. You can read the full plan at ohiosos.gov/globalassets/media-center/news/2020/2020-08-12.pdf. But some main safety takeaways are this:
The Ohio Voting Safety Plan sets in place guidance that will enhance the ability of county boards of elections to keep their voters and election officials safe. The plan sets in place 48 points that include the following:
- Routine cleaning of voting machines and e-pollbooks
- Mask requirements and regular hand washing for all poll workers
- Social distancing recommendations
- Making curbside voting available
All voters will be encouraged to wear a mask, just as the vast majority of Ohioans do at the grocery store or a restaurant. It’s important to note that while the Secretary of State may put requirements in place for election officials, no one can or should be able to prevent electors from casting their ballot, even if the elector chooses not to follow the recommendations in place to protect poll workers and other voters. In addition to opportunities to vote early by mail and early in-person, voters choosing to cast their ballot on election day will have the option to vote curbside if they are physically unable to enter a polling location.
So those are the three ways you can vote in Ohio. And, like LaRose says, "Make a plan. Don’t procrastinate. Make sure your voice is heard.”
