Guidelines in Ohio

• You need to be a United States citizen.
• You need to be 18 or older on Election Day.
• You need to be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days immediately before the election in which you want to vote.
• You can't be in prison or jail for a felony conviction under the laws of Ohio, another state, or the United States.
• You can't have been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court.
• You can't have been permanently disenfranchised for violations of the election laws.
• If you're a first-time voter who registers by mail, you're required to submit proof of identification either at the time of registration or when you vote. You can include a copy of your identification with your registration form today! Acceptable forms of ID include: a current utility bill, bank statement, valid photo ID, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.

Don't forget -- your state may have additional ID requirements when you go to the polls.

If you have additional questions about voting in Ohio, please contact:
Elections Division: (614)-466-2585; election@sos.state.oh.us

• Postmarked/returned in person by: 30 days before Election Day.

Under Ohio law, if you have been convicted of a felony, you may not register or vote while you are incarcerated, but you may vote while you are on probation or parole. If you have been convicted twice of violating Ohio's election laws, you may not vote. For more information, visit the Ohio Elections Division's website or call them at 614-466-2585.

• You must be a resident of the state in which you register and vote. If you're a student from Ohio who attends school in another state, you may need to determine whether you're an Ohio resident or a resident of the state where you attend school. The important thing to keep in mind is that you may only cast your vote in one state.
• Here's what Ohio says about residency: Your residence is the fixed place where you live and to which, whenever absent, you intend to return. You do not have residence in a place where you have come for temporary purposes only.
• If you determine you're an Ohio resident, but will not be present in this state or will be away from your home district on Election Day, be sure to check the absentee ballot application requirements and deadlines. In addition, Ohio residents who attend school in-state, but in a different election district, may be eligible to register and vote in the election district where they live while attending school.
• To determine whether you're a resident of a different state where you attend school, be sure to check that state's residency requirements.

Ohio says that you need to bring ONE of the following forms of identification:

• Current and valid Ohio driver's license or Ohio state-issued photo identification (does not need current address), or
• Military identification (does not need to include an address), or
• One of the following current (unexpired or issued in the past twelve months) documents containing name and current address:
1. Utility bill (including a cell phone bill); or
2. Bank statement; or
3. Paycheck; or
4. Government check; or
5. Another government document(including one issued by a public college or university); or
6. Federal photo ID (not a passport).

Voters who do not provide one of these identification documents at the polling place will still be able to vote by casting a provisional ballot. A provisional ballot is no different from a regular ballot, but it is not counted until election officials can verify your eligibility to vote. When voting provisionally, voters should fill out the form completely, being certain to:

• PRINT their name on the affirmation statement
• Provide the last four digits of their social security number as identification on the affirmation statement
• Also SIGN the affirmation statement

If the voter casts a provisional ballot and did not either provide acceptable proof of identity (including the last four digits of the Social Security number) or sign the 10-T Affirmation of identity, then the voter must appear in person at the board of elections to provide proof of identity within the 10 days immediately following Election Day.

No

In Ohio, you don't have to wait until Election Day to vote. You can skip Election Day lines and vote early at a time that's convenient for you.

Vote Early In Person

All voters in Ohio may vote in person before Election Day at your county's Board of Elections office from October 2, 2012 to November 2, 2012.

Vote Early By Mail

You can also vote before Election Day by completing an absentee ballot and submitting it by mail.

First, complete the Absent Voter Application and return the application to your county Board of Elections office either by mail or in person. If mailed, your application must be received by the Board of Election by noon (12:00pm) on the third day before the election. You may also return the application in person to the Board's office by prior to Election Day.

Your completed ballot must either be postmarked by prior to Election Day or you returned to the Board of Elections office in person until the close of polls on Election Day.

http://www.sos.state.oh.us/