Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Ohio allows any voter to request a ballot by mail. You can also vote in person. Ohio offers early voting.
Vote in person
Vote on Election Day
Voters registered in Ohio can look up where to vote on Ohio’s site.
Vote early
Ohio voters can also vote before Election Day. The early voting period runs from Tuesday, October 6, 2020 to Monday, November 2, 2020, but dates and hours may vary based on where you live.
What to bring
- You will need to show ID to vote in Ohio. Acceptable forms include: an unexpired Ohio driver’s license or state ID card; a military ID; a photo ID issued by the US government or the State of Ohio, that contains your name and current address and that has an expiration date that has not passed; or a current (within the last 12 months) utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document (other than a notice of voter registration mailed by a board of elections) that shows your name and current address.
- Voters without ID: If you do not have any of the above forms of identification you may provide either your Ohio driver’s license or state identification number (which begins with two letters followed by six numbers) or the last four digits of your Social Security number and cast a provisional ballot. Once the information is reviewed and verified by the board of elections, your ballot will be counted.
- If you do not provide one of the above documents or your driver’s license/state identification number or the last four digits of your Social Security number at the precinct, you will still be able to vote using a provisional ballot. However, in order for that ballot to be counted, you must return to the board of elections no later than seven days following Election Day to provide a qualifying form of identification.
Who can vote
You have to register to vote before Election Day in Ohio. You can find the deadline to register to vote in the “Dates and deadlines” section.
To register in Ohio you must:
- be a citizen of the United States;
- be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days immediately before the election in which you want to vote;
- be at least 18 years old on or before the day of the next general election day (if you will be 18 on or before the day of the general election, you may vote in the primary election for candidates only, but you cannot vote on issues or party central committees until you are 18);
- not be incarcerated (in jail or in prison) for a felony conviction;
- not be found incompetent by a court for purposes of voting by a probate court;
- not be permanently disenfranchised for violations of election laws.
- *find more information on voting rights restoration here
Vote by mail
- Request your mail-in ballot with a mail ballot application.
- Fill out the application completely.
- Submit the request to your local election office. You should request your ballot as far in advance of the election as possible. The deadline to request a ballot by mail is 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, 2020.
- When your ballot arrives, read it carefully and follow the instructions to complete it and return it.