Download a printer-friendly PDF
In 2011, Gov. John Kasich and his Republican colleagues in the state legislature tried to overhaul the state's election laws, threatening many voters' access to the polls. While the worst of this legislation is currently suspended, voters still will face obstacles in voting. Here's what you need to know if you want to vote in Ohio in 2012.
VOTING IN 2012
Do I need to bring ID?
YES. All voters must bring acceptable identification to the polls to verify their identity. It will be enforced in 2012.
Acceptable identification includes one of the following:
- A current and valid photo identification;
- Military identification; or
- A copy of a current (within the last 12 months) utility bill (including cell phone bill), bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document other than a voter registration acknowledgement notification mailed by the board of elections, that shows the voter's name and current address.
A voter presenting an Ohio driver's license that shows the voter's former address is permitted to cast a regular ballot so long as the voter's current residential address is printed in the official poll list of registered voters for that precinct. So if you move, you must update your address prior to the election.
Voters who do not provide one of these documents at the precinct still will be able to vote using a provisional ballot. Voters who do not have any of the above forms of identification, including a Social Security number, still will be able to vote by signing an affirmation statement swearing to the voter's identity under penalty of election falsification and by casting a provisional ballot.
Early Voting
In-person absentee voting, also known as early voting, is allowed in the state of Ohio, but some changes were made in 2011. Secretary of State Jon Husted interpreted a new law, HB 224, to mean that early voting is prohibited in the three days prior to an election. He intends to enforce that decision again in 2012.
Early voting begins 35 days before the day of an election. In-person absentee voting for Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) voters ends at 7:30 p.m. on the day of the election. For in-person absentee voting for non-UOCAVA voters, the deadline is 6 p.m. the Friday before the election.
Absentee Voting
For uniformed services voters and overseas voters eligible to vote under UOCAVA, the absent voters' ballots must be ready 45 days before an election. For all other voters, absentee voting begins 35 days before the day of an election. Mail-in absentee ballots must be requested by noon on the Saturday before the election.
If delivered in person to the board office, absentee ballots must be received no later than the close of polls on Election Day. If postmarked before Election Day and mailed to the board office, absentee ballots must be received no later than the 10th day after the election.
What if I move or change my name?
If you already are registered to vote but have moved within Ohio and/or changed your name, you must update your voter registration by submitting a new voter registration form or change of address form for your new residence and/or name.
If your valid change of name and/or address form is received or postmarked by the voter registration deadline, you will be eligible to vote a regular (rather than a provisional) ballot at that election. That deadline is 30 days before Election Day. You may also update your registration during the 28 days immediately before, or on the day of, an election, but this may require you to vote a provisional ballot.
Voter registration forms can be found online at: www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/publications.aspx#vrfi.
Completed forms should be mailed to the secretary of state's office or your county board of elections office. A list of county offices can be found at: http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/elections/boeDirectory.aspx
If you have any questions about voting in Ohio, contact the secretary of state's office at 1-877-SOS-OHIO (767-6446) or visit: www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections/Voters.aspx.
WHAT HAS CHANGED
Most of the changes you have heard about will not be in effect for the 2012 elections.
On July 1, 2011, Gov. Kasich signed HB 194 into law, making it one of the most suppressive voting laws in the country. It would have drastically cut early voting and made it more difficult for many voters to get their ballots counted. Under the new law, poll workers would not be required to direct voters in the wrong precinct to the correct precinct. The law is currently suspended to allow voters to approve or reject the legislation on the November 2012 election ballot.