Ohio will hold a general election on November 7 to determine the establishment of a state constitutional right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions”, along with the legalization of marijuana use and growth for adults 21 and older.
Are You Registered To Vote?
According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, you must register or update your voter registration no later than 30 days prior to an election. Here are the upcoming voter registration deadlines:
- The deadline to register to vote in the November 7 general election is October 10.
*If you register or update your information after the deadline, the change will apply for the next election.*
Polling location info for in-person voting:
Your polling location varies depending on where you live, and it might not even be the closest station to you. Find your official polling location on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website. There, you can also see a sample ballot with the text of Issue 1.
Important dates concerning early voting:
- Early in-person voting for the November 7 general election begins Wednesday, October 11 (this includes the Saturday and Sunday before Election Day).
Early voting days:
- October 11-13: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- October 16-20: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- October 23-27: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- October 30: 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- October 31: 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
- November 1-3: 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- November 4: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- November 5: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Do I Need Voter ID?
Do I Need Voter ID?
Yes. To get an absentee ballot or cast your vote in person, Ohio voters now must show a valid state or federally-issued photo ID to cast a ballot at the polls. This includes:
- Ohio driver's license
- State of Ohio ID card
- Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- U.S. military ID card
- Ohio National Guard ID card
- U.S. 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 as it appears in the Poll List or in the Poll Book
An unexpired Ohio driver's license, State ID card or interim documentation with a voter's former address is an acceptable form of ID if the voter's current address is listed in the pollbook.
State-issued photo IDs are available for free at Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicle offices under the most recent voter ID law.
If you do not bring an acceptable form of ID, or if your eligibility is in question because you moved or changed your name but didn't update your registration, you can still vote using a provisional ballot.
Voting provisionally simply means that election officials need to double-check your eligibility. To do so, you must visit your county's board of elections within four days after Election Day to provide that identification, so your vote can be counted in the final election totals. Election officials are also required to attempt to contact voters by mail, phone or email to resolve any issues with their ballots.
Absentee Voting
- Absentee Voting By Mail: Begins October 4 and ends on Monday, November 6.
- Absentee ballot applications must be received by your county board of elections by 8:30 p.m. on October 31.
- Absentee Ballots may be returned by mail or personally delivered to your county board of elections by November 7. If not returned by mail, absentee ballots must be received by your board of elections by 7:30 p.m. when polls close.
- November 13 is the last day for county boards of elections to receive absentee ballots that have been postmarked on or before November 6.
- Visit the Secretary of State website for information on absentee ballots.
Military and Overseas Absentee Voting
Military & Overseas Absentee Voting began on September 22.
The federal government and the State of Ohio permit the use of the FPCA by uniformed services voters and overseas voters. For your purpose, U.S. citizens who are active or reserve members of a uniformed service, the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the merchant marines, and their eligible spouses and dependents may use this FPCA when their military service causes them to be absent from the Ohio residence where they are qualified to vote.
Click here for more information on how to request a ballot as a member of the armed services or as an Ohioan living abroad.
Hospitalized Voting
If you or your minor child is in the hospital on Election Day, you must submit a properly completed and signed request to the board of elections of the county in which your voting residence is located by 3 p.m. on Election Day.
To be eligible under this provision, you or your minor child must be confined in a hospital because of an accident or unforeseeable medical emergency. If you or your minor child is hospitalized in the same county where you are registered to vote, two representatives of the board of elections can deliver the ballot to you, wait while you mark the ballot and return your voted ballot to the board office.
Additionally, you may include in your absentee ballot application a request that your county board of elections gives your unmarked ballot to a designated relative who shall deliver the ballot to you in the hospital and return your voted ballot to the board office.
Visit the Secretary of State website to request a Hospitalized Absentee Ballot Request Form.
Voters With Disabilities
Any Ohio voter with a qualifying disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act can request an absentee ballot to complete through the accessible absentee voting system.
Visit the Secretary of State website to request an Accessible Absentee Ballot.
What am I voting on?
Ohio Issue 1, the Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Including Abortion Initiative:
A "yes" vote supports amending the Ohio Constitution to institute a state constitutional right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” including but not limited to abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one’s own pregnancy and miscarriage care.
A “yes” vote would create legal protections for any person or entity that assists someone with receiving reproductive medical treatment, including but not limited to abortion.
A “yes” vote would prohibit the state (“any governmental entity and any police subdivision”) from burdening, penalizing or prohibiting abortion before a fetus is determined to be viable, except when the state displays “that it is using the least restrictive means to advance the individual’s health in accordance with widely accepted and evidence-based standards of care.”
A “yes” vote would grant a pregnant woman’s physician the power to determine, on an individual case basis, whether a fetus is viable.
A “yes” vote would also permit the state to restrict abortion after a treating physician determines a fetus is viable, which is defined as “the point in a pregnancy when, in the professional judgment of the pregnant patient’s treating physician, the fetus has a significant likelihood of survival outside the uterus with reasonable measures,” and only if the physician does not consider the abortion necessary to protect the pregnant woman’s life or health.
A “yes” vote would prohibit the state from banning abortion, regardless of viability or pregnancy stage, when, in the professional judgment of the treating physician, “the abortion is necessary to protect the pregnant patient’s life or health.”
A “no” vote opposes amending the Ohio Constitution to institute the constitutional right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions.”
Read the initiative petition and the full text of the proposed amendment here.
Ohio Issue 2, the Marijuana Legalization Initiative:
A “yes” vote supports legalizing marijuana use for adults 21 and older, allowing adults to possess up to 2 and ½ ounces of marijuana in any form except adult-use extract, which cannot exceed 15 grams. Adults 21 and older would also be permitted to grow up to six cannabis plants.
A “yes” vote also supports enacting a 10% tax on marijuana sales.
A “no” vote opposes legalizing marijuana use for adults 21 and older in the state of Ohio.
Read the initiative petition and the full text of law here.