OHIO

Voter Registration Deadline: 30 days before Election Day

2024 Election Information

Presidential Primary: March 19, 2024

• Voter Registration Deadline: February 20
• Mail-in Ballot Application Deadline: March 12

Special Election: August 6, 2024

• Voter Registration Deadline: July 8
• Mail-in Ballot Application Deadline: July 30

General Election: November 5, 2024

• Voter Registration Deadline: October 7
• Mail-in Ballot Application Deadline: October 29

More election information at:

www.sos.state.oh.us/elections/voters

Online voter registration available at:

https://olvr.ohiosos.gov/

Mail-in voter registration form available at:

https://www.ohiosos.gov/globalassets/elections/forms/vr_form_04-2015.pdf

Students have a decision about where to register to vote.

You have a right to register to vote at the address you consider the place where you live, whether that is your family’s home or the place where you attend school. You should update your registration anytime this home address changes.

You may only be registered and vote in one location.

Ohio’s voter registration form asks for your Ohio driver’s license or ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Be sure to provide one of these numbers if you have it.

By Mail ID Requirement: The mail-in ballot request application asks for your Ohio driver’s license or state ID card number or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Voters may provide a copy of a different valid photo ID including a state ID card, military ID card, US passport, or Ohio National Guard ID. Please visit this webpage for additional information.

In-person ID Requirement: Voters who vote in person during the early voting period or on Election Day must provide an unexpired photo ID. The accepted forms of photo ID are:

• Driver’s license or photo ID issued by the State of Ohio BMV (driver’s licenses and non-driver photo IDs issued by the Ohio BMV are acceptable even if the address does not match the address on the voter’s registration)
• Military ID
• US Passports and Passport Cards

• What is HB 458?
  • HB 458 is the strictest voter ID bill in the entire nation, and could strip in-person voting access from as many as 800,000 Ohioans. It was signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine on January 6, 2023 and took effect on April 7, 2023.
  • The bill severely restricts voting options for Ohioans by shortening the deadlines for requesting and returning mail-in ballots, diminishing access to ballot drop boxes, and eliminating early voting the day before Election Day.
  • This bill is a severe setback for democracy in our state. It disenfranchises Ohioans based on their age, ability, income, and decision to serve overseas, and it is a blatant attempt to suppress voters – plain and simple.
• How is it different from previous laws?
  • Under the new law, in-person voters must present an eligible photo ID in order to vote. The only eligible forms of ID will include: an Ohio’s driver’s license or another form of state ID, military ID, or a US passport or passport card.
  • Voters’ deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is now the close of business the seventh day before Election Day (Primary: March 12, 2024 and General: October 29, 2024). Previously, voters had a longer window to do so.
  • Under the new law, absentee ballots must be postmarked the day before the election (Primary: March 18, 2024 and General: November 5, 2024) and received by the fourth day following the election to be counted.
  • Voters will have until the fourth day after the election (Primary: March 23, 2024 and General: November 9, 2024) to submit valid ID in order to correct a provisional ballot.
• How will I and other groups of Ohioans be impacted when the law takes effect?
  • Strict voter ID requirements directly impact young people, who face some of the most significant barriers to securing documentation that counts as voter ID. They’re less likely to have a driver’s license, to have the financial resources and transportation they need to get an ID, and to be reached with information about voting requirements and deadlines than older voters.
  • Shortening deadlines for requesting and returning mail-in ballots disenfranchises students who lack access to vehicles they’d need to vote off-campus and often opt to vote by mail. It also makes it harder for people who serve in the military overseas or have trouble leaving their homes to vote.
  • Burdensome ID requirements disenfranchise other voters who lack the money, transportation or government support needed to get the documents they need to vote in-person – like low-income voters, voters with disabilities, and senior citizens.
• They also disproportionately affect the LGBTQ+ community, particularly voters who don’t identify with the gender marked on their IDs. This exact issue has led to over half of transgender adults to be ineligible, or not vote, in at least one election in their lifetime.
• How can I take action to push back against this new law?
  • While HB 458 has been signed into law and took effect on April 7, you can contact your legislator to push for the addition of student ID to the list of acceptable photo identification options, to help make voting more accessible for hundreds of thousands of students.
  • How to contact your legislator:
    • If you don’t already know who your legislators are, find them here: ohio.gov/members/district-maps.
    • Find the phone number for your State Representative here: gov.
    • To email your State Representative, insert the number of the House District that they represent into the following email address format: Rep[#]@ohiohouse.gov
    • Find the phone number for your State Senator here: gov.
    • To email your State Representative, use their last name in the following email address format: [LastName]@ohiosenate.gov
      • *Note: There are currently two Ohio state Senators with the last name Huffman. Contact Senator Matt Huffman at MHuffman@ohiosenate.gov and Senator Stephen Huffman at SHuffman@ohiosenate.gov.
    • Spread The Word On This Issue – Top-line Messages
      • Equal access to voting is foundational to our democracy. All voters deserve free, fair and unburdened access to the ballot in order to make their voices heard in our government.
      • But a new law that will soon take effect in Ohio – which includes the strictest voter ID requirements in the nation – is threatening voting access for hundreds of thousands of Ohioans.
      • For college students in Ohio, voting this spring could look different from how it has in the past. All students need to know about the updated photo ID requirements, new deadlines, and how to request a mail in ballot in order to make sure their votes count.

You can take action to fight for fairer access to the ballot by contacting your state legislators and asking them to add student ID to the list of acceptable photo ID options under the new law.

Make a plan. Track your absentee ballot, check your voter registration ststus, look up your voting site and hours at:

sos.state.oh.us/elections/voters/toolkit

By Mail: Registered voters have the right to vote by mail without an excuse. Instructions for applying for a mail ballot and a PDF application form are available at:

https://www.sos.state.oh.us/elections/voters/how-to-request-your-absentee-ballot/

• Mail-in Ballot Application Deadline: Applications must be received by your county board of elections by the close of business on the seventh day before Election Day.
• Completed Mail-in Ballot Return Deadline: The completed absentee ballot must be postmarked by the day before Election Day and received by the county board of elections by the fourth day following the election or returned in-person to the county board of elections before the close of the polls on Election Day. If you are in line to deposit your absentee ballot in the county drop box by the close of polls at 7:30pm, you have the right to deposit your ballot in the drop box.

Voters with disabilities may receive their ballots through the state’s remote ballot marking system. More information is available at: https://www.sos.state.oh.us/elections/voters/11-g/.

Early In-Person: Registered voters have the right to vote early in person without an excuse. Early in-person voting begins the day after the close of voter registration and ends on the Sunday before Election Day.

Check with your local board of elections for dates, hours, and locations, or at: https://www.sos.state.oh.us/elections/voters/toolkit/early-voting/.

Election Day: Voting sites will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. If you are in line by the closing time, then you have a right to cast your vote.

Does Registering to Vote Affect my Federal Financial Aid?

Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA.

Does Registering to Vote Affect my Status as a Dependent on my Parents’ Taxes?

Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.

Does Registering to Vote impact my Tuition Status?

Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community.

Will registering to vote in Ohio affect my driver’s license or car registration?

As a full-time student in Ohio, you may be required to obtain an Ohio driver’s license and update your car’s registration, regardless of whether you register to vote there. For more information, contact the Ohio Department of Motor Vehicles.