LaRose announces opening of Aug. 8 special election as ballots go out to military, overseas voters
Ohio’s county boards of elections began distributing ballots Friday to active duty military and overseas voters, officially opening the August 8 Special Election. An election is now underway.
The deadline for Ohioans to register to vote is July 10, and early voting begins July 11.
“The servicemen and servicewomen who are defending our interests overseas are among our most patriotic and civic-minded Americans. Despite serving our nation on foreign soil, they remain highly engaged in our elections, and beginning today they will be exercising the very rights they defend and impacting the communities they’ll return to,” said Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. “We are all grateful for their service, pray for their safe return and proud that they remain engaged in our democratic process. I encourage the friends and families of Ohioans who are serving or working abroad to remind them to visit MilitaryVotes.Ohio.Gov because it's time for them to cast a ballot.”
Ohio voters will find one issue on their ballot this election—State Issue 1, which elevates the standards to qualify for and pass amendments to Ohio’s constitution. You can read the ballot language here. https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zv6ulcMIGycaxF6KeXYsoj4odfyvfTUSkad3EB-…
Recognizing the complexities of voting from overseas, both federal and state law protect the right and ability for uniformed services and overseas U.S. citizens to vote by providing additional and adequate time for them to apply for and cast an absentee ballot. Ballots may be requested by mail, email or fax, but must be submitted by mail or in person, like any other absentee ballot.
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act are federal laws ensuring this right in federal elections, while the Ohio General Assembly has incorporated those federal protections into the Ohio Revised Code and extended them to state and local elections.
Due to Ohio’s cutting-edge cybersecurity efforts to protect election integrity, users in some countries or unsecured locations (i.e. public WiFi, internet cafes) may not be able to immediately access their county or state website. If that occurs, voters are encouraged to visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program website at FVAP.gov or call the Ohio Secretary of State’s office at 614-466-2585. The Federal Voting Assistance Program is affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense and ensures all service members, their eligible family members and overseas citizens have the tools and resources to exercise their right to vote.
UOCAVA ballots may be returned by U.S. Postal Service, APO/FPO System, diplomatic pouch or another delivery service such as UPS or FedEx, or in person. An absentee ballot delivered in person must arrive at the board office by the close of polls on Election Day. Absentee ballots returned by mail must be submitted for mailing by 12:01 a.m. on Election Day and must arrive at the board of elections office within four days after the election.
As always, all necessary voting information is available online at the Ohio Secretary of State’s Voter Toolkit, VoteOhio.gov. Once there, Ohio voters can download the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), check their voter registration status, find their polling location, view their sample ballot and track the status of their absentee ballot.