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Register to Vote and Update Your Registration
Frequently Asked Questions
- How can I register to vote?
- What is the registration deadline?
- Do I have to sign my voter registration form?
- What are my obligations to keep the board of elections informed of address or name changes?
- Do I declare my political party affiliation when I register?
- What happens after I submit my voter registration form?
- Can I check my voter information online?
- How do I cancel my voter registration?
How can I register to vote?
You may register to vote online, in person or by mail.
Online
Click here to register to vote online.
If you need to change your address or update your voter registration information, click here.
By Mail
Access Ohio’s Voter Registration form by clicking here. You may also use the National Mail Voter Registration form available at www.eac.gov/voter_resources/register_to_vote.aspx.
You also may ask a county board of elections or the Secretary of State's office to mail a voter registration form to you.
In Person
You may obtain a voter registration form, and register to vote in person at any of the following locations:
- The office of the Secretary of State;
- The office of any of the 88 county boards of elections;
- The office of the registrar or any deputy registrar of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles;
- Public libraries;
- Public high schools or vocational schools;
- County treasurers' offices; or
- Offices of designated agencies, including:
- The Department of Job and Family Services;
- The Department of Health (including the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program);
- The Department of Mental Health;
- The Department of Developmental Disabilities;
- Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities; or
- The office of any state-assisted college or university responsible for providing assistance to students with disabilities.
When you have completed your voter registration form, please review it carefully for completeness and accuracy. You may either personally deliver, or send by U.S. Mail, your voter registration form to a county board of elections or the Secretary of State's office. You, or another person acting on your behalf, also may deliver your application to one of the offices listed above, but you should ensure your application reaches the office of a board of elections or the Secretary of State no later than the voter registration deadline, the 30th day before the election at which you want to vote.
What is the registration deadline?
Ohio has a 30-day voter registration requirement. However, if the voter registration deadline falls on a Sunday or a legal holiday, then the deadline is extended to the next day that is not a Sunday or a legal holiday. Click here to see the deadlines for upcoming elections.
Registration by U.S. Mail:
If you choose to register to vote using the U.S. Mail, you may send your properly completed and signed registration application to the office of a county board of elections or the Secretary of State's Office. Your application must be postmarked by the voter registration deadline, the 30th day before the election, in order to be eligible to vote in that election.
Registration in person:
If you choose to register to vote in person, you may deliver your registration form to the office of a county board of elections, the Secretary of State's office, a state or local office of a designated agency (see list above), the office of the registrar or any deputy registrar of motor vehicles, a public high school or vocational school, a public library, the office of a county treasurer. Your voter registration form must be received by the voter registration deadline, the 30th day before the election, in order to be eligible to vote in that election.
You also may entrust your completed registration form to another person for delivery to elections officials. However, that person must deliver it to a county board of elections or the Secretary of State's office within 10 days after you completed the form, or by the voter registration deadline, whichever is earlier.
Do I have to sign my voter registration form?
Yes. Ohio law requires you to sign the voter registration form. "Sign" or "signature" means your written, cursive-style legal mark written in your own handwriting. If you do not use a cursive-style legal mark in your regular business and legal affairs, "sign" or "signature" means any other legal mark that you use in your regular business and legal affairs that is written in your own handwriting.
Generally, signing or affixing a signature to an election-related document requires a person’s written, cursive-style legal mark written in that person’s own hand. However, a voter with a disability may personally affix his or her signature through the use of a reasonable accommodation, including the use of assistive technology or an augmentative device such as a signature stamp.
What are my obligations to keep the board of elections informed of address or name changes?
If you are already registered to vote but have moved within Ohio and/or changed your name, you must update your voter registration by submitting a new voter registration form.
Ohio's voter registration form also serves as a change of address and change of name form. It can be submitted through the mail or in person. For change of address purposes only, all Ohio voters also have the option of using the Secretary of State’s Online Change of Address System at www.VoteOhio.gov. Here, you can also check your voter registration and find other important voting information.
If your change of name and/or address form is completed properly, the board of elections will update your registration and send you a notice reflecting your new name and/or address. If your form is incomplete, the board will send you a notice of the information necessary to update your registration. If your valid change of name and/or address form is received or postmarked by the voter registration deadline, then you will be eligible to vote a regular (rather than a provisional) ballot at that election.
You may also update your registration during the 28 days immediately before, or on the day of, an election, but this may require you to vote a provisional ballot. For more information about provisional ballots, click here.
If you are already registered to vote but have changed your name after the voter registration deadline, you may appear at your polling location on Election Day, provide proof of legal name change, complete SOS-prescribed form 10-L and cast a regular ballot.
Do I declare my political party affiliation when I register?
No. Under Ohio election law, you declare your political party affiliation by requesting the ballot of a political party in a partisan primary election.
If you do not desire to affiliate with a political party in Ohio, you are considered to be an unaffiliated voter. An unaffiliated voter does not vote the ballot of a political party in a primary election. However, an unaffiliated voter may vote the Official Questions & Issues Ballot, if there is one for the voter's precinct at the election.
What happens after I submit my voter registration form?
If the information contained on your application is found to be complete and truthful, the board of elections for the county in which you reside will accept your voter registration form. The board must register you to vote not later than 20 business days after receiving your application and promptly mail a notice to your voting residence address confirming that you are registered to vote, identifying your voting precinct and the location of your precinct, and stating the identification requirements for voting.
If you do not receive a notice that your registration was accepted or rejected, please contact your county board of elections before Election Day to determine if the board received your application.
Can I check my voter information online?
Yes. You may check your voter information by performing a voter information search on the Secretary of State's website by clicking here. If performing such a search returns the information you registered, your county board of elections has successfully processed your voter registration form. If the search does not return your information, please contact your county board of elections to check on the status of your registration. You should perform this kind of search before the deadline to register to vote so that in the event that the board of elections did not receive your information, or if it is not accurate, you have time to submit a new form before the deadline.
Please note, the information available in the voter information search is based on data sent to the Ohio Secretary of State's Office from the local county boards of elections. If your county board of elections has notified you by mail of a precinct change, or if you have a question about any of the information displayed here, please contact your county board of elections directly. Follow this link for an Ohio county board of elections directory.
How do I cancel my voter registration?
If you are currently registered to vote in Ohio and wish to cancel your registration, you may do so by completing the Ohio Voter Registration Cancellation Request form and sending it to the county board of elections where you wish your registration to be cancelled.