CLEVELAND, Ohio – Ohioans can begin casting their ballots for the 2024 general election as early voting officially kicks off Tuesday.
The start of early voting gives Ohioans a chance to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5, when voters nationwide will decide the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, and former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate.
Early voting is available for all registered voters, giving them a chance to avoid the lines and potential time constraints of Election Day. Voter registration closed on Monday.
Almost every state offers some form of early voting now. In Ohio, voters can cast their ballots either in person or by requesting an absentee ballot that can be returned in person or through the mail.
Here are some answers to common questions you might be asking about how to vote in this year’s election.
If you want to cast a ballot in the 2024 election, you first have to make sure you’re already registered. The registration deadline for the 2024 election was Monday, so if you’re not already registered to vote you won’t be allowed to cast a ballot this year.
To find out if you’re registered, you can enter your name into a state database: https://voterlookup.ohiosos.gov/. Voting can be done either in-person at designated early voting locations or by absentee ballot.
Of course, the ballot this year includes the presidential election, but there are a number of items for Ohioans to vote on.
A pivotal U.S. Senate race between Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican rival Bernie Moreno is on the ballot. Brown is seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate in a race that is one of the most closely watched in the country because it could decide which party controls the Senate. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being funneled into the race both from inside and outside of Ohio.
Voters will also decide on Issue 1– a redistricting proposal that would remove politicians from the process in favor of a citizen commission. Issue 1 would overhaul how Ohio draws congressional and legislative districts every 10 years.
Three seats on the Ohio Supreme Court also are up for grabs. The outcome of those elections could solidify the Republican majority on the seven-member court or tilt it in favor of Democrats.
View a sample of your Ohio statewide ballot so you can prepare yourself before heading to the polls.
Ohioans have three options to participate in the 2024 election: vote early in person, vote with an absentee ballot or go to their polling place on Election Day.
Early voting generally runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays for the first few weeks, but hours change on the weekend and as we get closer to Election Day.
Oct. 8-11: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Oct. 14-18: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Oct. 21-25: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Oct. 26: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Oct. 27: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Oct. 28: 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 29: 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 30 – Nov. 1: 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 2: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Nov. 3: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
During the early voting period, anyone who wants to cast a ballot in person must do so at the board of elections in the county where they are registered.
To find your county board of elections, visit the Ohio Secretary of State office website which has a map and list of Ohio counties.
The small on-site lot at the office, located at 2925 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland, is for handicap-only parking. Voters with valid disability placards also can enter the BOE office at the rear of the building, using the door facing the parking lot. The drop box for absentee ballot applications and completed absentee ballots also is in this lot.
The general public, meanwhile, will have access to two nearby parking lots. One is the lot for the Campus International K-8 school at Chester Avenue and E. 30th Street, accessible off East 30th, almost a block north of the elections office. The other is a parking garage accessible off Chester Avenue, just east of the main Campus International building. The general public then should enter the board at the front entrance off Euclid Ave.
A 2023 state law change severely curtailed the type of acceptable identification Ohio voters must provide to cast their ballot.
Ohio requires in-person voters to have a form of photo identification in order to vote. That includes an Ohio driver’s license, an Ohio ID card, a U.S. passport or passport card, a U.S. military ID, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID, or an Ohio National Guard ID.
If voters do not have any of the above forms of identification, they may cast a provisional ballot. However, for that ballot to be counted, voters must return to the board of elections no later than four days after Election Day to provide a qualifying form of identification.
Out-of-state driver’s licenses are not valid IDs when voting. Ohio will also not accept a social security card, birth certificate, insurance card, utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or any other government document.
While some states accept them, college IDs are not acceptable in Ohio.
First, if you want to get an in-state ID, you can visit your local Bureau of Motor Vehicles location. There’s an identity-verification process and a cost associated with getting an Ohio driver’s license. But under the new voter ID law, Ohio also offers free state IDs to people who request them. Note, if you have an out-of-state driver’s license, it will be canceled if you apply for an Ohio state ID, according to the BMV. Once you successfully apply for your ID, the BMV will give you a temporary ID you can use to vote while you wait the permanent one to arrive.
You can request an absentee ballot. Ohio is one of 28 states that offer “no excuse” absentee voting, meaning you don’t need a qualifying reason to request an absentee ballot.
Ohio does not offer an online tool to request absentee ballots, as it does for voter registration.
Instead, you must submit a paper request form for an absentee ballot, available at www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/absentee-ballot/. It must be mailed or dropped off at your county board of elections.
You also can get an absentee request form at your county board of elections.
The deadline to request vote-by-mail ballots is Oct. 24. If you don’t receive your ballot in the mail, then contact your local election office.
The board of elections will mail you an absentee ballot if you request one. The first wave of ballots will be mailed Tuesday.
Once you receive your absentee ballot, you must return it by mail in the provided envelope or in person to the board of elections. County boards of elections can have one drop box outside their offices for voters to submit their absentee ballots.
Mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 4 or returned in person to county elections boards by the time polls close on Election Day. Mailed ballots must arrive at the county board of elections within four days after the election to be counted.
The U.S. Postal Services estimates that it could take two to five days for mailed absentee ballots to be returned to the board of elections.
Yes, you can track your absentee ballot online. The Ohio Secretary of State’s office has a tool where you can select your county at https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/ballot-tracking/. That will direct you to your local board of elections website, where you can look up the status of your ballot request or ballot.
Double-check which date you’re filling in on the form. Voters must provide their date of birth, but some voters incorrectly write in today’s date. Some people also forget to mark the correct election date. For this election, you have to mark “November general election.”
And don’t forget to sign the form and date it.
Most Ohioans still vote on Election Day. You can find your Election Day polling place at the Ohio Secretary of State’s website, www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/polling-location/. For a presidential election, you should expect longer wait times as turnout is generally much higher for national elections.
Polls are open from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on Election Day. If you are in line to vote before 7:30 p.m., you are still able to cast your ballot as long as you stay in line.
