About 235,500 Ohioans have requested absentee ballots in the mail but not returned them. Time is running out to do so.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose said Tuesday that voters with outstanding absentee ballots need to return them as soon as possible. Voters should consider taking their completed ballots to the 24/7 drop box outside their county Board of Elections office.
“Of course, you are permitted to mail it, but you’re taking a chance when you do that,” LaRose said.
Overall, 1.19 million Ohioans have voted early so far, state election records show.
Voters have cast 699,203 of those early ballots in person and 491,258 by mail.
Voters have requested 726,754 mail ballots, which means there are 235,496 mail ballots that have yet to be returned.
Here are some quick answers to questions voters might have about their absentee ballots and voting in general.
What is the deadline to return my Ohio absentee ballot?
The deadline to return the ballots is 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Ohio will no longer accept absentee ballots that arrive at a county Board of Elections office after that, under a law Republicans passed last year.
You can either mail your ballot, deposit it in the ballot drop box at your county board of elections or personally hand it to an elections worker during operating hours at a county board of elections.
Can someone else return my absentee ballot for me?
In most cases, it’s illegal for someone take someone else’s completed mail ballot. There are some exceptions, defined as the following:
- Spouse
- Father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law
- Grandfather, grandmother
- Brother or sister, of whole or half blood
- Son, daughter, adopting parent, adopted child
- Stepparent, stepchild
- Uncle, aunt, nephew, niece
Family members can’t use the drop box for someone else’s ballot. They must either mail it or hand it personally to an elections official at the board office.
Voters with disabilities are allowed to choose anyone they want to return their ballot, except their employer or union representative or agents of either. These helpers aren’t allowed to use drop boxes.
What if I changed my mind / never got my mail ballot and want to vote in person?
You have two options. One, you can visit your local board of elections and cast an early in-person ballot. Bring your mail ballot if you still have it. Officials will ask for it so they can mark it spoiled, but you can vote without it.
Two, you can vote on Election Day like normal. But you will be required to cast what’s called a provisional ballot. These are a special kind of ballot that aren’t counted immediately so elections officials can take extra time to make sure a voter isn’t trying to vote twice. This means your vote won’t be counted until after Election Day – although it still could make a difference in a very close race.
What is Ohio’s early in-person voting schedule?
Here are the dates/hours:
Oct. 28-Oct. 30 (Wednesday through Friday) : 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 31 (Saturday): 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Nov. 1 (Sunday): 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
There is no early in-person voting on Monday, Nov. 2.
What photo ID does Ohio accept for voting?
Voters in Ohio must show an unexpired photo ID to vote in person. Elections officials will accept:
- An Ohio-issued driver’s license
- An Ohio-issued state ID
- An interim ID form issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles
- A United States passport or passport card
- A U.S. military ID card, U.S. military dependent ID card, Ohio National Guard ID card or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
Student IDs, Ohio mobile IDs and out-of-state driver’s licenses are among the forms of identification that aren’t accepted.
When are polls open in Ohio on Election Day?
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. through 7:30 p.m. You can find your polling place here.
