What to know before voting in Ohio primary election
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- While turnout is projected to be low, even for a primary in a presidential election year, there are still some things voters should know before heading to the polls Tuesday.
Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and anyone in line when polls close will be able to cast their vote.
Ohio’s primaries are partially open, allowing voters to pick which party’s ballot they wish to vote with, although they will be registered with that party for the next two years. Voters who don’t want to declare party affiliation can vote on school levies and other noncandidate races by requesting an issues-only ballot.
There are a few elections in Franklin County and across the state voters could play a big role in, including the Democratic race for Franklin County prosecutor and the Republican race for U.S. Senate. Otherwise, ballots on both sides of the political divide will be fairly sparse, given that the presidential race is already decided and most other candidates aren't facing any opposition.
That isn't to say there aren't races of import appearing on the ballot: Olentangy residents will be voting on a school levy that would cost property owners $148.75 per $100,000 of market value annually; several contested races for the Ohio House of Representatives; and two Democratic judges square off for a spot on the ballot to sit on the Ohio Supreme Court.
To vote, residents will be required to provide one of the following photo IDs to cast their ballots:
- Ohio driver's license
- State of Ohio ID card
- Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- U.S. military ID card
- Ohio National Guard ID card
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
All photo IDs must have the following:
- An expiration date that has not passed
- A photograph of the voter
- The voter’s name, which must substantially conform to the voter’s name as it appears in the Poll List or in the Poll Book
Voters without photo IDs can cast provisional ballots on Election Day, and then return to the county board of elections headquarters with a photo ID to prove their identity. Voters who fail to do so will not have their vote counted.
Voters who received absentee ballots must have had them postmarked for Monday, March 18, for them to be counted. If the voter didn’t return the ballot via the postal service, it can be dropped off at their county board of elections before polls close at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Any voter who requested an absentee ballot but decided to vote in person must fill out a provisional ballot. This is due to the absentee ballot being registered in the voter’s name with the board of elections.
Election results for 89 races across central Ohio can be found here once polls close.
Voters are encouraged to visit their county board of elections website (see below) for further information or to report issues, and to find out what issues or candidates they will be voting for.