What to know about Ohio's final week of early voting in May election
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohioans have less than a week to utilize early in-person voting for the May primary and special election.
Voters casting a ballot in the May 6 election will be deciding various primaries, countywide races and municipal issues, from city council seats to property taxes and library funding. Each ballot will also feature the statewide Issue 2, which would allow Ohio to give out up to $250 million in bonds annually, or $2.5 billion over the next decade, to fund local infrastructure projects, like building roads, bridges, landfills, water supply systems and more.
Voters can cast ballots at county boards of elections most days leading up to the weekend before special election day, so long as they come with photo identification. Here's the remaining dates when you can vote early:
- April 28: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- April 29: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- April 30 - May 2: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- May 3: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- May 4: 1 p.m. 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.
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.
Those in Ohio wishing to use mail-in voting must first submit a request form for an absentee ballot, available here, and return it by mail or in person to their county board of elections. The deadline to request a ballot is seven days before the election, on April 29.
After receiving and completing their ballot, Ohioans must ensure their ballot is postmarked by the day before the election, May 5, 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 May 6.
There are many resources on the Secretary of State's website that will make your trip to the polls easier: