What to know about early in-person, mail-in voting starts in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Ohio will begin mailing out absentee ballots on Tuesday for November’s election, as county boards of elections welcome voters for the first day of early in-person voting .

Secretary of State Frank LaRose is sending out mail-in ballots on Tuesday to those Ohio voters who have already submitted a request form for an absentee ballot. Those who are still wishing to vote by mail can request an absentee ballot up to seven days before the election, which is Oct. 29, but must return it by mail or in-person to their county board.

After receiving and completing their ballot, Ohioans must ensure their ballot is postmarked by the day before the election, which is Nov. 4, to be counted. Voters can also return their absentee ballot in person to their county board of elections before the polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5.

Ohio voters can request their ballot for each election 90 days before the date of an election but must complete a separate application for each they want to vote in. Voting by mail reduces the chances of lines at the polls, and absentee ballots are the first votes counted on election night, LaRose’s website states, which also has a map of county elections boards .

Early in-person voting also starts on Tuesday in the November election. Voters can cast ballots at county boards of elections most days leading up to the weekend before Election Day, so long as they come with photo identification. Here’s when you can vote early:

• Oct. 8-11: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Oct.14-18: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Oct. 21-25: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Oct. 26: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Oct. 27: 1 to 5 p.m.
• Oct. 28: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Oct. 29: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Oct. 30 – Nov. 1: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Nov. 2: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Nov. 3: 1 to 5 p.m.

Ohio requires in-person voters to have a form of photo identification in order to vote. That includes an Ohio driver’s license, an Ohio ID card, a U.S. passport or passport card, a U.S. military ID, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID, or an Ohio National Guard ID.

All identification must have an expiration date that has not passed, a photograph of the voter, and the voter’s name, which must substantially conform to the voter’s name as it appears in the poll list.

An unexpired Ohio driver’s license, Ohio ID card, or interim documentation with your former address is an acceptable form of ID when your current address is in the pollbook, LaRose’s site states.

If voters do not have any of the above forms of identification, they may cast a provisional ballot. However, for that ballot to be counted, voters must return to the board of elections no later than four days after Election Day to provide a qualifying form of identification.

Out-of-state driver’s licenses are not valid IDs when voting. Ohio will also not accept a social security card, birth certificate, insurance card, utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or any other government document.

There are many resources on the Secretary of State’s website, that will make your trip to the polls easier:

• View your sample ballot, once completed, here .
• Find your Nov. 5 polling location here .

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