OHIO

Election Information

Upcoming Elections

2008 Special Election: 8/5/08

2008 General Election: 11/4/08

Voter Registration Information

The Lawyers’ Committee and its pro bono law firm partners have compiled comprehensive third-party voter registration guides for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These guides will help volunteers, organizers, and leaders navigate the complex rules that govern voter registration in each state.

Ohio Voter Registration Guide

Registration Deadlines

30 days before an election

Specific Deadlines:

2008 Special Election: 7/7/08
2008 General Election: 10/5/08

Where to Obtain Registration Forms

Register Online Now
Download form
The office of the Secretary of State or a County Board of Elections
Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Offices of designated agencies that provide public assistance or disability programs
Public libraries
Public high schools or vocational schools
County treasurers’ offices

Absentee Voting

Absentee voting is allowed if the voter is:

Registered
A member of the Armed Forces or a spouse or dependent of a member of the Armed forces
A U.S. citizen living overseas who will be at least 18 years of age before the next general election and whose last residence prior to going overseas was in OH

Rules and Deadlines

Absentee ballots can be found with the Board of Elections and must be requested by noon the Saturday before an election.
Ballots must be returned to the Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.

Early Voting

Yes, for all registered voters at the County Board of Elections Office starting 35 days before the election and ending the day before the election.

Identification Requirements

At registration:

Current and valid photo identification or
A current utility bill,
Bank statement,
Government check,
Paycheck
Other government document that shows the name and address of the elector

At Polls, Acceptable forms of ID include:

Current and valid photo identification or
A current utility bill,
Bank statement,
Government check,
Paycheck
Other government document that shows the name and address of the elector

How to check registration

Check online

How to locate polling place

Check online

Information for felons

Voter is eligible upon completion of sentence, including probation or parole.

Go to the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.

Read frequently asked questions about Ensuring a Valid Voter Registration in Ohio.

Learn about Third Party Voter Registration in Ohio.

In The Courts

Harkless v. Blackwell

Complaint

Boustani v. Blackwell

League of Women Voters of Ohio v. Blackwell

Legislation

Ohio H.B. 3

Recent News

October 4, 2006: Today, Judge Boyko of the U.S. Dictrict Court for the Northern District of Ohio found that an Ohio voter challenger law that treats naturalized citizens differently than native-born citizens is unconstitutional. The plaintiffs for Boustani v. Blackwell, representing more than 20 individuals and organizations, filed their complaint and motion for preliminary injuntion on August 29, 2006, contending that Ohio revised code section 3505.20(A) illegally discriminated against naturalized citizens.

Under Ohio law, election officials can challenge voters on the grounds of citizenship. The overruled law required naturalized citizens to provide documentary proof of citizenship but made no such requirement for native-born citizens. This provision would allow for arbitrary, and potentially discriminatory, implementation.

At today’s hearing, Secretary of State Blackwell condeded that there was no justification for this distinction between native-born and naturalized citizens The Court agreed and found that the plaintiffs were not only entitled to a preliminary injunction, but a permanent injunction declaring the law unconstitutional and void.

The plaintiffs were represented by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the ACLU, and the Brennan Center for Justice.

Read the preliminary injunction here.

September 21, 2006: Voting rights advocates filed suit in Cleveland today, charging that Ohio’s Secretary of State, Kenneth Blackwell, and the Director of its Department of Job and Family Services, Barbara Riley, have violated the rights of thousands of low-income Ohioans by failing to provide voter registration opportunities in public assistance offices as required by the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The NVRA is a federal law enacted thirteen years ago to encourage voter registration and turnout in elections.

Read the complaint here.

The lawsuit, brought by Carrie Harkless, Tameca Mardis and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), alleges that offices of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services failed to provide Ms. Harkless, Ms. Mardis and thousands of other low-income Ohioans with the opportunity to register to vote or change their voter registration address during visits to DJFS offices to apply for or recertify their eligibility for public assistance benefits. Plaintiffs are represented by attorneys from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the National Voting Rights Institute, Project Vote, Dechert LLP and Cleveland attorney Donna Taylor Kolis.

The NVRA is commonly known as the Motor-Voter law for its requirement that states provide voter registration opportunities when residents apply for drivers’ licenses. Congress also included in the law a provision requiring that voter registration must be offered during most transactions at public assistance agencies to ensure that those who do not visit motor vehicle departments still have an opportunity to register to vote. Low-income citizens are less likely to own a car and are among the least likely to register to vote at motor vehicle departments, making the public assistance requirement crucial in reaching these citizens. Only 68% of Ohioans in households making less than $15,000 a year were registered to vote in 2004 versus 92% of individuals in households making $75,000 or more. The lawsuit charges that the state has failed badly in enforcing these requirements, with some DJFS offices failing to register a single person in a two-year period and others registering only a handful.

Jon Greenbaum, Director of the Voting Rights Project at the Lawyers’Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, one of the organizations representing plaintiffs, said "After repeated notifications, the state has not remedied this clear-cut violation of the law. We therefore had no choice but to ask the federal court to do so." In May 2006, the law firm of Dechert LLP, together with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the National Voting Rights Institute, sent a formal notice letter to Secretary of State Blackwell informing him of the state’s violation of the NVRA. Mr. Blackwell, however, responded by denying that the state had any problem with noncompliance, and declined to develop any plan to remedy the longstanding violations.

Read the compliant here.

August 6, 2006: The New York Times outlines the new burdens placed on voter registration groups in Ohio. Among other problems, Ohio now requires paid volunteers to personally submit new registration forms, rather than the organization conducting the voter registration drive, preventing much internal review to see if forms are accurate and properly completed. In addition, volunteers are now held liable for criminal penalities for any irregularities on registration forms.

The New York Times, New Registration Rules Stir Voter Debate in Ohio

August 4, 2006: A coalition of organizations, including the National Campaign for Fair Elections, released findings of a survey of county Boards of Elections and called on Secretary of State Blackwell to clarify rules on presenting photo identification when voting. Several media outlets throughout the state detailed the findings of the survey.

The Columbus Dispatch, Election boards need new law spelled out, civic groups say
The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Activists: Advisory proves Blackwell suppressing vote
Akron Beacon Journal, Unsupported Mandate

June 8, 2006: National Campaign for Fair Election Director Jonah Goldman discussed the problems with Ohio’s election administration.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Blackwell’s dual roles draw fire

May 12, 2006: The Lawyers’ Committee along with the National Voting Rights Institute (NVRI) notified Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell that the State of Ohio is not in compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), and demanded that he take immediate steps to bring Ohio into compliance. The notice letter, which is a pre-requisite to filing a lawsuit under the NVRA, was sent on behalf of the Ohio chapter of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a non-partisan organization that advocates for the rights of moderate to low-income people. Specifically, the May 12 notice letter advises Secretary Blackwell of systematic, statewide deficiencies in Ohio’s compliance with NVRA provisions that require a state’s public assistance agencies to provide voter registration opportunities and assistance to their clients. Both anecdotal and statistical evidence confirm that Ohio’s public assistance agencies are failing to provide the voter registration opportunities required by Section 7 of the NVRA. The Ohio notice letter marks the first in a number of collaborative efforts between the Lawyers’ Committee, the NVRI and other groups to enforce Section 7 of the NVRA.

Read our letter to Secretary of State Blackwell here.

December 2, 2005: Chief Judge James L. Carr, the federal judge presiding over our historic lawsuit, League of Women Voters of Ohio v. Blackwell, denied Defendants’ motion to dismiss our complaint and held that our lawsuit alleges sufficient facts that, if proven at trial, would establish Constitutional violations by Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell and Governor Bob Taft. In February of 2006, Judge Carr issued another favorable decision, once again rejecting arguments made by Secretary Blackwell and Governor Taft that they are immune from our legal claims under the doctrine of sovereign immunity. Judge Carr determined that this argument by Secretary Blackwell and Governor Taft was "frivolous" and that our lawsuit should go forward. The proceedings before Judge Carr have been stayed while Defendants seek an appeal of Judge Carr’s rulings in our favor.

July 28, 2005: Seeking to redress decades-old Constitutional defects in the way Ohio conducts federal elections, the League of Women Voters of Ohio, the League of Women Voters of Toledo-Lucas County, and more than a dozen Ohio citizens filed a historic, non-partisan lawsuit against the State of Ohio, League of Women Voters of Ohio v. Blackwell. The lawsuit alleges that Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, Governor Bob Taft, and their predecessors have failed to protect the fundamental rights of eligible Ohio voters to cast a meaningful ballot, as required by the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In addition, the complaint contends that Ohio has not met its obligations under the Help America Vote Act. The lawsuit does not challenge the results of any past elections, but instead seeks to bring about changes necessary to protect the rights of Ohio voters in future elections. Filed in federal court in Toledo, the complaint chronicles deficiencies over more than three decades, including widespread problems with the voter registration system, the absentee and provisional ballot processes, the training of poll workers, the organization of polling places and precincts, and the allocation of voting machines. The lawsuit seeks to compel the state to uphold its constitutional obligation to provide for the voting-related needs of its citizens in time for the November 2006 general election. The relief sought would require the state to repair the problems at all stages of the electoral process that have disenfranchised and overly burdened Ohio voters and made the ability to vote and be counted vary widely from county to county.

Read the Complaint here.