• Official State Website
• Secretary of State Website
• Absentee Voting Rules Webpage

Who can register to vote?
You are qualified to register to vote in Ohio if you meet all the following requirements:

1. You are a citizen of the United States;
2. You will be at least 18 years old on or before the day of the general election. (If you will be 18 on or before November 4, you may vote in the primary election for candidates, but you cannot vote on issues until you are 18);
3. You will be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days immediately before the election in which you want to vote;
4. You are not incarcerated (in prison or jail) for a felony conviction under the laws of this state, another state or the United States;
5. You have not been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court; and
6. You have not been permanently disenfranchised for violations of the election laws.

You are eligible to vote in elections held in your voting precinct more than 30 consecutive days after you are duly registered to vote in this state.

Where do you vote?
On Election Day, you cast your ballot at your precinct's designated polling place between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. If you do not know where your precinct polling place is located, please contact your county board of elections. Please click here to perform a polling place search.

How do you vote?
As a registered voter, you may vote absentee (vote by mail) or cast your ballot on Election Day at your precinct’s designated polling place. Use the links below to find your polling place, for more information about absentee voting or to contact your county board of elections.

• Polling Location Search
• County Boards of Elections Directory
• Absentee Voting/Vote By Mail
• For information on voting rights of U.S. citizens living outside the U.S., please click here, Uniformed and Overseas Citizens.

Instructions for casting your ballot are posted in each polling place. If you have any questions about how to mark or cast your ballot, or if you have incorrectly marked a ballot, immediately contact a precinct election official (poll worker) for instructions before you continue.

Identification required for voting
All voters must bring identification to the polls in order to verify their identity. Identification may include a current and valid photo identification, a military identification that shows the voter's name and current address, or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document, other than a notification mailed by the board of elections, that shows the voter's name and current address. Voters who do not provide one of these documents at the polling place will still be able to vote a provisional ballot as described earlier in this guide, and may provide such identification to the board of elections within the 10 days following Election Day. Voters who do not have any of the above forms of identification, including a Social Security number, will still be able to vote by signing an affirmation statement swearing to the voter's identity under penalty of election falsification and by casting a provisional ballot. (Please click here for additional information on provisional voting.)

Disability Accomodations

A voter with a physical or mental disability or a voter who is unable to read or write may be assisted by anyone of the voter's choice, except a candidate whose candidacy is being voted on in that precinct, the voter's employer or the employer's agent, or an officer or agent of the voter's union. A voter may also be assisted by two poll workers (each of a different political party). No one who assists a voter may disclose any information about how that person voted.

Deadlines

• Deadline to register to vote in November 2008 election: October 6, 2008
• Deadline to register for absentee ballot in November 2008 election: November 1, 2008

Voting Equipment
Voting machine information for Ohio's 88 counties.