When early voting begins in Ohio's November election
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohioans who want to vote in this fall's general election don't have to wait until Nov. 5 to cast their ballots.
Early-in person and absentee voting will start on Oct. 8 in the November election. Voters can cast ballots at county boards of elections most days leading up to the weekend before Election Day, so long as they come with photo identification.
Ohio requires in-person voters to have photo identification in order to vote. That includes an Ohio driver's license, an Ohio ID card, a U.S. passport or passport card, a U.S. military ID, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID, or an Ohio National Guard ID. Out-of-state driver's licenses are not valid IDs.
If you don't have a valid form of photo ID, you can vote by mail without it. You must first submit a request form for an absentee ballot, available here, and return it by mail or in person to the county board of elections. Mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 4 or returned in person to county elections boards by the time polls close on Nov. 5.
Those whose registration information is up-to-date cane now request an absentee ballot. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office will begin mailing absentee ballots on Oct. 8 to those who submitted a request, but the deadline to request a ballot is seven days before the election on Oct. 29. Learn more here.
Here's when you can vote early at your county board of elections in the November election:
- Oct. 8-11: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Oct. 14-18: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Oct. 21-25: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Oct. 26: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Oct. 27: 1 to 5 p.m.
- Oct. 28: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 29: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Oct. 30-Nov. 1: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Nov. 2: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Nov. 3: 1 to 5 p.m.
LaRose completed in early August an annual maintenance of the voter registration list and removed 154,995 inactive and out-of-date registrations. LaRose checked the records to confirm that each removed registration, for at least four consecutive years, has neither participated in any kind of voter-initiated activity from the registered address nor updated or confirmed their voter registration or responded to mailed notices.
Voters in Ohio can complete or update their voter registration at any time before Oct. 7 here. There are many resources on the Secretary of State's website, that will make your trip to the polls easier: