Voting in Ohio

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The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which people cast their ballots in their respective states.

This article includes the following information about voting policies in Ohio:

See Election administration in Ohio for more additional information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, and post-election auditing practices.

Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.

Voter registration

Eligibility and registration details

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Ohio, an applicant must be a United States citizen, a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days before the election, and at least 18 years old by the day of the election. Individuals who are incarcerated for a felony conviction, have been declared by a court to be incompetent for voting purposes, or have been permanently disenfranchised may not register to vote.[1]

Applicants may register to vote online, in person, or by mail. The Ohio Voter Registration and Information Update Form is available online and can be requested by mail. In-person voter registration is available at various locations including the secretary of state and board of elections offices, Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles offices, public libraries and high schools, and other state agencies. A full list of locations is available here.

The deadline to register to vote is 30 days before the next election. An Ohio driver’s license number, state ID card number, or the last four digits of a SSN is required in order to register to vote or update a voter registration.[2][3]

In-person voting

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing times

In Ohio, all polling places are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Voters who are in line at 7:30 p.m. are permitted to vote.[4]

Voter identification

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Ohio requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[5]

The following list of accepted ID was current as of April 2023. Click here for the Ohio Secretary of State page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

“
  • Ohio driver's license;
  • State of Ohio ID card;
  • Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV;
  • A US passport;
  • A US passport card;
  • US military ID card;
  • Ohio National Guard ID card; or
  • US Department of Veterans Affairs ID card

All photo IDs must have the following:

  • 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[6]
 ”

Early voting

See also: Early voting

Ohio permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Starting the day after the close of voter registration, registered voters may cast an early in-person ballot at their county board of elections. On April 6, 2023, HB 458 went into effect, removing one day from the early voting period, Early voting is no longer available on the Monday before Election Day. Instead, the law extended the hours for in-person early voting during the preceding week.


Absentee/mail-in voting

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Ohio. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[7]

Absentee ballots may be requested for each individual election beginning on January 1, or 90 days before the date of an election, whichever is earlier. The request must be received by the local county board of elections by the close of business on the seventh day before the election. A returned absentee ballot must then be postmarked at least one day before Election Day and received by the elections board no later than 4 days after the election.[7][8]

Local election officials

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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for convicted felons

In Ohio, people convicted of a felony automatically regain their voting rights after serving their prison time. People who have committed two or more felony offenses violating state election laws are ineligible to regain their right vote. According to the secretary of state's office, "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."[1]

Voting rights for convicted felons vary from state to state. In the majority of states, convicted felons cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[9]

Noteworthy events

New photo identification requirement for voters (2023)

On January 6, 2023, Governor Mike DeWine (R) signed House Bill 458 into law with an effective date of April 6, 2023. The law made several changes to Ohio's election laws, including adding a photo identification requirement. Previously, Ohio voters were able to present non-photo identification (such as utility bills or bank statements) when voting.[8][10]

According to HB 458, '"Photo identification" means one of the following documents that includes the individual's name and photograph and is not expired:[11]

  1. An Ohio driver's license, state identification card, or interim identification form issued by the registrar of motor vehicles;
  2. A U.S. passport or passport card;
  3. A U.S. military, Ohio national guard, or U.S. department of veterans affairs identification card.

In-person voters without one of these photo IDs can vote by provisional ballot. A religious exemption can be requested by submitting a form.[8][11]

Absentee by mail voters must include a copy of their photo identification, their Ohio driver’s license/ID number, or the last four digits of their social security number with their requests for an absentee/mail-in ballot.[8][11]

HB 458 also made other election law changes. It changed the length of time for voters to request an absentee ballot and changed the deadline to return an absentee ballot. It changed the number of days voters have to cure ballots after an election. It adjusted the number of ballot drop box or drop-off locations. It also changed the dates for in-person early voting.[8][11]

Click here to read the full text.

Court ordered election officials to count provisional ballots (2018)

On October 31, 2018, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ordered Ohio election officials to count provisional ballots for the 2018 election cast by qualified voters removed from registration rolls between 2011 and 2015 that still live in the same county indicated on their last registrations. The decision came after a federal judge earlier that month dismissed a suit against the state in which the plaintiffs alleged that notices sent to inactive voters between 2011 and 2015 violated federal law. The plaintiffs appealed this decision to the Sixth Circuit, which issued its October 31 order pending resolution of the appeal.[12]

Changes to early and absentee voting provisions (2014 and 2015)

On February 21, 2014, Governor John Kasich signed into law two bills that altered the state's early and absentee voting provisions. Senate Bill 238 eliminated "Golden Week," a period during which state residents could register and vote on the same day, and shortened the early voting period by a week. Senate Bill 205 established a requirement that the Secretary of State obtain funding approval from the legislature before mailing absentee ballot applications statewide.[13]

Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Cuyahoga County executive Ed FitzGerald denounced the bills as "outrageous and unnecessary and totally motivated by a desire to make it tougher to vote." He also indicated that he had directed his county law director to review the bills for possible legal action.[13]

The Ohio Association of Election Officials said that allowing individuals to both register and vote on the same day results in difficulties in properly validating voters.[13]

Senate Bill 238 was subject to a legal challenge. On April 17, 2015, the parties involved agreed to a settlement. The terms of the settlement included the restoration of one day of voting on Sunday, additional weekday evening voting hours, and the elimination of "Golden Week," a period during which state residents could register and vote on the same day."[14]

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission
See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Ohio can contact the following state and federal agencies.

Ohio Secretary of State, Elections Division

180 East Broad Street, 16th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: 614-466-2585<be>
Tollfree: 1-877-767-6446
Website: http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections.aspx

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20001
Telephone: 301-563-3919
Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

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See also

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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ohio Secretary of State, “Voter Eligibility & Residency Requirements,” accessed April 12, 2023
  2. ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, “Register to Vote and Update Your Registration,” accessed April 6, 2023
  3. ↑ Democracy Docket, “Ohio Governor Signs Strict Photo ID Bill Into Law,” January 6, 2023
  4. ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, “Election Day Voting,” accessed April 12, 2023
  5. ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Identification requirements," accessed Aprl 6, 2023
  6. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ohio Secretary of State, "Voting Absentee by Mail," accessed April 6, 2023
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Democracy Docket, "Ohio Governor Signs Strict Photo ID Bill Into Law," January 6, 2023 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "demdoc" defined multiple times with different content
  9. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
  10. ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Identification Requirements," January 13, 2023
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 134th General Assembly, "Substitute House Bill Number 458," accessed January 13, 2023
  12. ↑ Cleveland.com, "Court orders Ohio boards of election to count provisional ballots in midterms for certain voters purged from rolls," October 31, 2018
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 The Columbus Dispatch, "Kasich signs both elections bills; 'livid' FitzGerald may take action," February 22, 2014
  14. ↑ MSNBC, "Settlement reverses some cuts to Ohio early voting," April 17, 2015
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