Voter Eligibility
Does everyone who wants to vote in Ohio have to be registered to vote here?
Yes.
What are the qualifications to register and to vote in Ohio?
You are qualified to register to vote in Ohio if you meet all the following requirements:
- You are a citizen of the United States;
- You will be at least 18 years old on or before the day of the next general election. (If you will be 18 on or before November 3, you may vote in the primary election for candidates, but you cannot vote on issues until you are 18);
- You will be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 consecutive days immediately before the election in which you want to vote;
- You are not incarcerated (in prison or jail) for a felony conviction under the laws of this state, another state or the United States;
- You have not been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court; and
- You have not been permanently disenfranchised for violating the election laws.
You are eligible to vote in elections held in your voting precinct 30 consecutive days after you are duly registered to vote in this state; however, you may request an absentee ballot during that period.
Where do I vote?
Where you vote depends on where you are determined by law to have a qualifying voting residence. Your qualifying voting residence is determined by the county board of elections using guidelines established by Ohio law (Revised Code (R.C.) 3503.02). You may vote only from the residence that qualifies as your voting residence. Your voting residence is the place in which your habitation is fixed and to which, whenever you are absent, you intend to return. Also, your voting residence is a location you consider to be a permanent, not a temporary, residence. You will not lose your voting residency in Ohio if you leave temporarily and intend to return to Ohio, unless you are absent from the state for four consecutive years. You may contact your local board of elections if you have any questions regarding your specific situation.
(Exception: You will not lose your residency after four years if your absence from Ohio is due to your employment with Ohio or the United States government, including military service, unless you vote in, or permanently move to, another state or country.)
If you do not have a fixed place of habitation, but you are a consistent or regular inhabitant of a shelter or other location to which you intend to return, you may use that shelter or other location as your residence for purposes of registering to vote.
For information on voting rights of U.S. citizens living outside the U.S., see Uniformed and Overseas Citizens.
You may also perform a polling place search by clicking here.
May a college student register and vote from his or her school address in Ohio?
Yes, a college student may vote using his or her Ohio school residence address. However, the student may not also vote an absentee ballot where he or she last lived (e.g., with one or more parent or guardian). When a college student votes from his or her school address, the school residence is considered to be the place to which the student’s habitation is fixed and to which, whenever the student is absent, the student intends to return, and is considered by the student to be his or her permanent residence at the time of voting.
Voter Identification
VOTER IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS / TYPES OF VALID ID
There are several types of valid photo identification.
- Ohio driver’s license;
- State of Ohio ID card;
- Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV;
- A US passport;
- A US passport card;
- US military ID card;
- Ohio National Guard ID card; or
- US 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, which must substantially conform to the voter’s name as it appears in the Poll List or in the Poll Book
NOTICE: An unexpired Ohio Driver License, State ID Card, or Interim Documentation with your former address IS an ACCEPTABLE form of ID when your current address is in the pollbook.
The BMV issues Ohio Interim Documentation until the applicant receives their new ID through the mail. A driver’s license or state identification card in the old or new format, the Ohio Interim Documentation, and a voter’s old, hole-punched driver’s license or state ID card are acceptable forms of identification for voting, as long as the expiration date has not passed.
If the voter changed their name and provides proof of the legal name change, completes and signs Form 10-L, and is registered within the precinct, the voter’s name on the photo ID may be different from the voter’s reported change of name.
REMEMBER: A voter who moves within the precinct (and completes a Voter Registration Form) or provides proof of legal name change (and completes Form 10-L) votes a regular ballot.
UNACCEPTABLE TYPES OF ID
Ohio law prohibits acceptance of the following forms of ID:
- Driver’s license or photo identification card issued by a state other than Ohio;
- Social Security card;
- Birth certificate;
- Insurance card;
- Utility bill;
- Bank statement;
- Government check;
- Paycheck;
- Other government document; or
- Any registration acknowledgment notice from the county board of elections.
PROVISIONAL BALLOTS
If you do not have any of the above forms of identification, you may cast a provisional ballot.
If you do not provide one of the above forms of photo ID, you will still be able to vote using a provisional ballot. However, for that ballot to be counted, you must return to the board of elections no later than four days following Election Day to provide a qualifying form of identification. If you do not have a photo ID because of a religious objection to being photographed, you may complete an affidavit of religious objection and have your provisional ballot count.