What do I need to vote on Election Day?

• A current and valid photo identification (such as Ohio driver license card, state ID card, government ID). Photo identification must show name and current address (except that Ohio driver license or State ID card does not need to show current address if the address in the poll book is current); or

• A military identification that shows the voter’s name (does not need to show address); or

• A copy of a current (within the last 12 months) utility bill (including cell phone bill), bank statement, paycheck, government check, or other government document (including from a public college or university) that shows the voter’s name and current address.

 

Voters who do not provide one of these documents will still be able to vote by providing the last four digits of the voter’s social security number, thus casting a provisional ballot. 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 swearing to the voter’s identity under penalty of election falsification and by casting a provisional ballot. 

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What will be on my ballot?

Sample ballots are not yet viewable. When they are, you can view it here by typing the election date (11/03/2020) and selecting the city where you live. You then select the ballot from the drop down-list and an attachment sample will download. 

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Where’s my polling location?

If you choose to vote on Election Day, you will need to vote at a specific location within your community. You can find your polling location here. There, you'll enter your last name and date of birth and then click on your name in the search bar below. In the top table, middle column, you will see a column labeled 'Current Polling Location'. 

 

Is my registration up to date?

You can check to ensure your name and address are correct by searching here. If your address as listed does not match the address on your ID, you can bring a utility bill or bank statement with your name and the correct address to your voting location.

• A current and valid photo identification (such as Ohio driver license card, state ID card, government ID). Photo identification must show name and current address (except that Ohio driver license or State ID card does not need to show current address if the address in the poll book is current); or

• A military identification that shows the voter’s name (does not need to show address); or

• A copy of a current (within the last 12 months) utility bill (including cell phone bill), bank statement, paycheck, government check, or other government document (including from a public college or university) that shows the voter’s name and current address.

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Can I vote if I’ve been convicted of a crime?

A person currently serving time in jail or prison for a felony conviction cannot register to vote nor vote. Additionally, a person who has twice been convicted of a violation of Ohio's elections laws is permanently barred from voting in Ohio.

 

An otherwise qualified person convicted of a misdemeanor may vote, and an otherwise qualified person who had been convicted of a felony may register and vote while on probation or parole, or after completing his or her jail or prison sentence.

The voter registration of a person who is incarcerated on a felony conviction is cancelled; once that person has completed his or her jail or prison sentence, or is on probation, parole or community control, he or she must re-register to vote by the registration deadline before voting.

 

I’m a college student. How and where do I vote?

Though you may be living on or near campus during the school year, you can participate in your hometown elections from out of state or elsewhere in Ohio. You can do so by maintaining your permanent home address as your voting residence and casting your ballot by: 

• Requesting an absentee ballot from your county board of elections and voting by mail; Click here for more information about absentee voting.

• Voting in person in the 28 days before a primary or general election at your home county board of elections if you won’t be at home on Election Day,

• Or, if you will be at home on Election Day, going to your assigned polling location for your home precinct.

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Plan ahead before you go away to school. You can request your absentee ballot now from your hometown county board of elections to vote. 

 

I’m currently serving in the military. How/where do I vote?

The citizens covered by Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) fall into one of two specific groups:

• If you are serving in the uniformed services (U.S. Armed Services, merchant marines, and the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States, the national guard and organized militia) and meet the requirements for voting at your Ohio voting residence, you may vote a uniformed services absentee ballot. Your spouse and dependents may vote a uniformed services absentee ballot if they left their Ohio voting residence to be with or near you. The voting residence of a service member is the place in Ohio where the service member resided for at least 30 days immediately preceding the commencement of his or her service.

• A U.S. citizen living outside the U.S. is eligible to vote in the Ohio precinct in which the voter resided immediately before leaving the U.S. if the voter was, or could have been registered to vote in Ohio while residing there, or currently is eligible under Ohio law to vote in Ohio. OR A U.S. citizen who was born outside the U.S. is deemed to have a voting residence in Ohio at the place in the Ohio precinct where the person's parent or guardian continuously resided for at least 30 days immediately before leaving the United States.

 

If you meet both points of criteria, you can request your ballot here.

 

I can’t mark my own ballot or need help because of a disability. What do I do?

You can bring someone with you to help you vote, or you may ask for assistance from precinct election officials. You may ask anyone to help you vote, except for the following people:

• Your employer

• An agent of your employer

• An agent of your union

• Any candidate whose name appears on the ballot in your precinct.

 

It’s also worth noting, all voting locations must be made accessible for people with disabilities. Under state and federal law, voters with disabilities must be given the same opportunity for access and participation as any other voter. You deserve just as much an opportunity to vote as anyone else!

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I’m in the hospital myself or caring for a family member and thus, unable to vote. What do I do?

If you or your minor child is in the hospital on Election Day, you must submit a properly-completed and signed request to the board of elections of the county in which your voting residence is located by 3 p.m. on Election Day. To be eligible under this provision, you or your minor child must be confined in a hospital because of an accident or unforeseeable medical emergency. If you or your minor child is hospitalized in the same county where you are registered to vote, 2 representatives of the board of elections can deliver the ballot to you, wait while you mark the ballot, and return your voted ballot to the board office. Additionally, you may include in your absentee ballot application a request that your county board of elections give your unmarked ballot to a designated relative. Here’s the link the request your absentee ballot in this situation.

 

I have a question not addressed here. Where should I go?

You can visit the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections at this address:

2925 Euclid Ave
Cleveland, OH 44115

You can also call them at 216.443.8683