As the 2018 General Election quickly approaches, it is important that Ohioans have all the information they need to be engaged and active voters. To participate in the Nov. 6 General Election, you must be a registered voter. If you are not yet registered, you can do so in a matter of minutes by visiting www.MyOhioVote.com . Online voter registration is both fast and easy, and you have until Oct. 9 to get registered.
Absentee voting begins on Oct. 10, which gives voters two convenient ways to cast a ballot. For those who want to vote without ever leaving home, absentee voting by mail is available. This option gives voters nearly a month to request, receive and cast their ballot. To make this process even easier, last month, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted mailed absentee ballot applications to every registered voter. Absentee ballot applications must be received by a voter’s county board of elections by noon on Saturday, Nov. 3. Completed absentee ballots can either be returned by mail – provided they are postmarked by Monday, Nov. 5 – or in person at the county board of elections office by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
If a voter prefers to cast their ballot in person, but wants to vote prior to Election Day, in-person absentee voting also is available. This option gives voters nearly 200 hours to cast a ballot in person at their county board of elections early vote center.
As always, the polls will be open for 13 hours on Election Day – Tuesday, Nov. 6 – from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. To ensure the day goes smoothly, an army of roughly 35,000 poll workers is deployed at polling places throughout Ohio to assist voters. For additional information, voters can access an online voter toolkit at www.MyOhioVote.com to make sure they are prepared to participate in the general election. Those visiting the website will be able to check their registration, view a sample ballot, request an absentee ballot, access the early voting schedule and find their Election Day polling place.