LaRose reminds Ohioans of voter registration deadline, early voting
Monday is the last day for Ohioans to register to vote for the Aug. 8 Special Election. On Tuesday, July 11, ballots will be available to all registered voters to make their voices heard on State Issue 1. Currently, Ohio has 7,947,090 registered voters.
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.
“August 8 provides an opportunity for Ohioans to democratically determine how Ohio’s constitution is to be regarded, and I encourage everyone to participate in an election that addresses the foundational, governing document of our state,” said Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. “Ohio makes it easy and convenient to vote, and beginning tomorrow, Ohioans will start casting their ballots by voting early. Please encourage friends, family members and anyone who is currently unregistered to vote to register now, and engage in our democratic process and help shape the future of our state.”
Ohio voters can cast their ballots in one of three ways: 1) early in-person; 2) vote-by-mail; or 3) on Election Day.
New voter registration and needed updates to a current registration can be done entirely online at VoteOhio.gov. Additionally, every county board of elections will be open until 9 p.m. Monday night for anyone who chooses to register in-person.
Beginning Tuesday, county boards of elections will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for early in-person voting. You can find the early voting schedule here. Voters may also choose to vote by mail. Learn how to request your absentee ballot at VoteOhio.gov.
Voters should consider these best practices when they choose the vote-by-mail option:
• Fill in the information properly. Review the form to ensure you have filled it out properly, including writing your date of birth where required, not the day’s date, as well as signing your request form.
• Include your e-mail and/or phone number. County board of elections will be calling or e-mailing voters who may need to remedy information on their ballot request form or absentee ballot envelope. Including your information will ensure you can be reached if your ballot request doesn’t have everything filled out properly.
• Don’t wait. To accommodate necessary processing time at the county board of elections and the time required 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.
• Double-check your return envelope. Before you submit your ballot request form, make sure the envelope is addressed to your county board of elections.
• 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 (20 days for UOCAVA voters) after the election at your county board of elections, your vote will be tabulated.
Absentee voting in Ohio is time-tested and has strong security checks in place.
Ohioans have utilized absentee voting for nearly two decades, and that has allowed Ohio to put in place both the laws and processes necessary to make absentee voting secure against fraud.
• Voter identification and signature are checked TWICE during the process.
• Voter list maintenance allows for accurate voter rolls.
• Ballot harvesting is against the law in Ohio.
• Voters can track their ballot on VoteOhio.gov/Track.
These requirements and processes, as well as strict laws against voter fraud, have made absentee voting secure in Ohio and instances of voter fraud are exceedingly rare.