How to register to vote in Ohio
(WJW) — Ohio voters will help pick the next U.S. president, choose their congressmembers and decide whether or not to pass control over the state’s legislative redistricting process from a commission led by politicians to one appointed by the people in the 2024 general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
That means the deadline to register to vote in Ohio is just weeks away. Tuesday, Sept. 17, is National Voter Registration Day, when all voting-age Americans are encouraged to get involved in the democratic process, starting with getting on the voter rolls.
Our guide below shows you how to get signed up and how to vote, either by mail or in-person during early voting or on Election Day.
FOX 8 is Your Local Election Headquarters
Am I registered to vote?
The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 5 general election is Monday, Oct. 7, which is 30 days before Election Day.
You can make sure you’re registered to vote and find your local polling place on the Ohio Secretary of State website.
Ohio’s voter registration rules changed in 2023. If you’re not already registered, you’ll need to provide an Ohio driver’s license or state ID number and the last four digits of your Social Security number in order to register with a paper form or to register online, along with your name, address and date of birth.
How can I vote by mail?
To vote by mail — also called absentee voting — you can request an absentee ballot from your local board of elections office. Or, you can check your mail. If you’re already registered to vote, the Ohio Secretary of State’s office should have already mailed one to your registered voting address.
The application must be returned to your local board of elections office by 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29.
Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by Monday, Nov. 5, the day before Election Day. They must be received by your local elections board office by Friday, Nov. 9, four business days after the election, in order to be counted. Previously, the deadline was 10 days after the election.
You’ll need to provide one of the acceptable forms of ID listed above.
After mailing, you can track your absentee ballot through your local elections board website.
You can also drop off your absentee ballot at your county board of elections office or in its drop box anytime until the polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. You don’t have to wait until Election Day to drop it off.
If you never received your absentee ballot, you should check in with your local board of elections office. You can find yours in the list above.
If you requested an absentee ballot but never mailed it back, you can still vote in person at your polling place on Election Day. But if you voted by mail, you’ll be unable to vote in person.
Do campaign yard signs even make a difference?
How can I vote in person?
Early in-person voting gets underway in Ohio on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Most counties conduct early voting at their board of elections office, and early voting locations are likely to be less crowded than polling places on Election Day.
To find out where you can vote early, find your local elections office in the list below.
Elections offices in Ohio have extended hours for early in-person voting:
Tuesday, Oct. 8, to Friday, Oct. 11: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 14, to Friday, Oct. 18: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 21, to Friday, Oct. 25: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 26: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 27: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 28: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 29: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 30 to Friday, Nov. 1: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 2: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 3: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Under new state voting rules, Monday, Nov. 4, the day before Election Day, is no longer an early voting day.
On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, the polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
If you choose to go to the polls on Election Day, you can find your voting precinct and polling place using the list of county elections board offices below or the Secretary of State website.
What do I need to bring?
To vote in person, you need to bring a form of identification that includes:
A valid Ohio driver’s license, state ID or some interim form of ID issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles
A U.S. military ID, National Guard ID or a U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs ID with your name and photo
A U.S. passport or passport card, which became acceptable in 2023
Ohio’s voter ID laws changed in 2023. Voters can no longer use a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, concealed carry permit or some other government document to verify their identity at the polls.
If your ID doesn’t have your current address, that’s OK as long as your voter registration has your current address.
If you don’t have an ID, you can still cast a provisional ballot. You’ll need to provide one of the acceptable forms of ID listed above to your local elections board office by Friday, Nov. 9, which is four business days after the election. Previously, Ohioans were allowed up to a week after the election to provide that information.
Starting in 2023, voters were no longer allowed to give the last four digits of their Social Security number when casting a provisional ballot, unless they do not have a photo ID for religious reasons. Once that information is verified, your provisional ballot will be counted.
FOX 8 poll results: Who won the Harris-Trump presidential debate?
Where is my polling place?
Find your local elections office or polling place at the links below to county board of elections offices in Northeast Ohio:
Court could clear the way for Americans to legally bet on US elections
Still have questions?
Visit the Ohio Secretary of State’s website for a list of voter resources and frequently asked questions.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.