What to bring when voting in Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Voters in Ohio can rely on several types of photo identification when heading to the polls for this fall's general election.
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 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, Secretary of State Frank 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.
If you don't have a valid form of photo ID, you can vote by mail without it. You must first submit a request form for an absentee ballot, available here, and return it by mail or in person to the county board of elections. Mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 4 or returned in person to county elections boards by the time polls close on Nov. 5.
Early in-person and absentee voting will start on Oct. 8 in the November election. Voters can cast ballots at county boards of elections most days leading up to the weekend before election day.
Those whose registration information is up-to-date cane now request an absentee ballot. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office will begin mailing absentee ballots on Oct. 8 to those who submitted a request, but the deadline to request a ballot is seven days before the election on Oct. 29. Learn more here.
LaRose completed in early August an annual maintenance of the voter registration list and removed 154,995 inactive and out-of-date registrations. LaRose checked the records to confirm that each removed registration, for at least four consecutive years, has neither participated in any kind of voter-initiated activity from the registered address nor updated or confirmed their voter registration or responded to mailed notices.
Voters in Ohio can complete or update their voter registration at any time before Oct. 7 here. There are many resources on the Secretary of State's website, that will make your trip to the polls easier: