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Registering To Vote
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Registering To Vote
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How can I obtain an Ohio voter registration application?
You may obtain a form in person, and register in person, at
any of the following locations:
- The office of the Secretary of State or any of the 88
county boards of elections.
- The office of any deputy registrar of the 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.
You also may ask a county board of elections or the Secretary
of State's office to mail a registration form to you. If you
have Internet access, you may download a form from the
Secretary of State's Web site: www.sos.state.oh.us. or click
here to download a form from the Lucas County BOE.
Where can I register to vote?
You can register to vote in person at the locations listed
above.
When must I register?
Ohio has a 30-day voter registration requirement. If you
register to vote by mail, your properly completed and signed
registration application may be mailed to any of the
aforementioned locations, except the offices of the Bureau
of Motor Vehicles or its deputy registrars, and must be
postmarked not later than the 30th day before the first
election in which you want to vote.
If you do not submit your registration application by mail,
you must deliver the form to a county board of elections, the
office of the Secretary of State, a public library, high
school or vocational school, county treasurer's office or
designated agency not later than the registration deadline for
the first election in which you want to vote. If you are
entrusting the delivery of your completed form to another
person, that person must deliver your registration form to a
county board of elections or the Secretary of State's office.
What if I am unable to sign my voter registration form or
other election documents?
Ohio law requires a person to sign or affix a signature to the
voter registration application. "Sign" or "signature" means
your written, cursive-style legal mark written in your own
handwriting.
However, if you do not use a cursive-style legal mark in your
regular business and legal affairs, "sign" or "signature" means
your other legal mark that you use in your regular business and
legal affairs that is written in your own handwriting.
- If you are unable to sign your own name, make an "X,"
if possible, on the application signature line and have
the person who witnessed your making that mark place his/her
name and address beneath the signature line.
- If you are unable to make an "X," you must indicate in
some manner that you want to register to vote. The person
registering you must sign the form and attest that you
indicated that you wanted to register to vote.
- If (a) by reason of disability you are unable to
physically sign your name or affix your mark to the
application, and (b) you have appointed an attorney-in-fact
pursuant to section 3501.382 of the Revised Code of Ohio,
your attorney-in-fact may sign it on your behalf, at your
direction and in your presence. Click here to download form.
What if I change my address or name after registering to vote
in Ohio?
If you are an Ohio voter who has moved within this state and/or
changed your name, you must report the change by delivering a
properly completed form, prescribed by the Secretary of State,
to any of the following offices: the Secretary of State, any
board of elections, a public high school or vocational school,
a public library, the office of the county treasurer, any
office of the registrar or deputy registrar of motor vehicles,
or the state or local office of a designated agency.
You may obtain a change of residence and/or name form from the
offices listed above, and from the probate court and the court
of common pleas of any Ohio county.
Your completed form may be delivered in person to any of the
offices listed above by yourself or by someone else on your
behalf. If you return your completed form by mail, state law
requires that you send it only to: the Secretary of State, a
board of elections, a public high school or vocational school,
public library, a county treasurer's office, or an office of a
designated agency.
If your change of name and/or address form is completed
properly, the board of elections will update your registration
and send you a notice. If the form is incomplete, the board
will send you a notice of the information necessary to update
your registration. If your valid change form is received or
postmarked at least 29 days before an election, you will be
eligible to vote a regular (rather than a provisional) ballot
at that election, either absentee or at your assigned precinct
polling place.
You also may update your registration by filing a change of
residence and/or name form during the 28 days immediately
before, or on the day of, an election.
Do I declare my political party affiliation when I register?
No. Under Ohio law, your political party affiliation is
determined by the ballot you cast in a partisan primary
election.
May I vote if I have been convicted of a crime?
A person currently serving time in prison for a felony
conviction cannot register to vote or vote. Additionally, a
person who has twice been convicted of a violation of the
elections laws is permanently barred from voting in Ohio. An
otherwise qualified person convicted of a misdemeanor may vote,
and one convicted of a felony may register and vote while on
probation or parole or after completing his or her sentence.
Ohio law does not permit convicted felons to work as poll
workers.
What happens after I submit my voter registration application?
If the board of elections accepts your voter registration
application, the board must register you to vote not later than
20 business days after receiving your application and promptly
mail a notice to your voting residence address confirming that
you are registered to vote, identifying your voting precinct
and the location of your precinct polling place, and stating
the identification requirements for voting.
If the board does not accept your registration application, it
will immediately mail you a notice stating why your application
was rejected and requesting you to provide whatever information
or verification is necessary to complete your application.
If you do not receive a notice that your registration was
accepted or rejected, contact your county board of elections
before Election Day to determine if the board received your
application.
Can I check my voter information online?
Yes. You may check your voter information at
www.sos.state.oh.us.
If you perform a Voter Information search and the information
you registered is returned, then your voter registration form
has been processed by your county board of elections. If your
information is not returned in the search, you may want to
contact your county board of elections to check on the status
of your registration. You may also click here
to check the Lucas County website.
If I am being compensated to assist a person to register
to vote, must I notify anyone prior to providing
assistance?
Yes. In each year that you receive or expect to receive
compensation for registering any person to vote, section
3503.29© of the Revised Code of Ohio requires that you,
before registering any voter, complete all the following
steps:
- Register with the Secretary of State at
www.sos.state.oh.us/electionsvoter/training.aspx;
- Complete the online voter registration training
program;
- Sign an affirmation that includes your name, permanent
address, date of birth, the name of each county in which
you expect to register voters, statement of completion of
the required training program and statement that you will
follow all applicable laws of this state while registering
voters.
- You must return that applicant's properly completed
voter registration form directly to the office of a county
board of elections or the Secretary of State. You shall
not, under penalty of law, return the completed form to any
other person, group, organization, office or entity.
- You must submit the completed voter registration form(s)
not later than the 10th day after the applicant has
completed the form, or before the 30th day before the
election, whichever is earlier. If you receive the form on
the 31st day before the election, you must submit the form
within 10 days.
- You must submit a single copy of the affirmation
referenced in step 3, above, with each set of voter
registration forms you return to a county board of
elections.
You may request a copy of Voter Registration Instructions from
the Secretary of State's office or visit our Web site at
www. sos.state.oh.us/sos/electionPubs.aspx?Section=1754
for additional information.
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