OH · How to vote
Voting in Ohio.
Three ways to vote, three deadlines. ID rules and vote-by-mail policy below — verify the specifics with the Ohio Secretary of State at the link.
1Official source of record
Ohio Secretary of State — Elections
VOTER ID REQUIREMENTS
Ohio requires a valid photo ID to vote. Accepted: Ohio driver's license, state ID, US passport, or military ID.
VOTE BY MAIL
Any registered voter can request an absentee ballot. No reason required. Applications must be received by the Saturday before Election Day.
3NCSL voter ID requirements2026-04-153NCSL absentee + VBM rules2026-04-15
Official action — OH
The state’s own tools, with links to verify.
Each card below routes to the official Ohio system. Where the state delegates to county Supervisors of Elections, the card says so honestly.
Statewide→
Check my registration
Returns polling place + sample ballot + absentee status.
Statewide→
Register / update online
OH DL/state ID + SSN-4. 30 days pre-election deadline.
Statewide→
Find my polling place
Polls 6:30am–7:30pm.
State + county→
Preview my ballot
SOS lookup populates per-voter when available; redirects to BOE for some counties. Statewide PDFs also published per primary.
Not available
Request a mail ballot
Paper application only. OH has no online absentee-request flow at all — voter prints PDF, signs, mails to county BOE. Deadline 7 days pre-election.
State + county→
Track my mail ballot
Toolkit page links to per-county trackers; no unified state UI. Voter must know their county.
Statewide→
See who's on the ballot
Statewide-office candidate list published as press releases, not a queryable database.
Statewide→
Statewide ballot measures
Zero statewide measures certified for Nov 2026 (as of 2026-04). Multiple citizen amendments in signature-gathering; 2026-07-01 deadline.
Statewide→
Live + past results
SOS Data Portal at ohiosos.gov/data has interactive dashboards.
Statewide→
Election calendar
Primary 2026-05-05, special 2026-08-04, general 2026-11-03.
1UOCAVA · military & overseas voters
Federal deadlines for Ohio
Active-duty service members, their families, and U.S. citizens overseas have separate deadlines under UOCAVA. Sourced live from the U.S. Federal Voting Assistance Program.
2026-05-05Ballot Request — State PrimaryReceived by
2026-05-05Ballot Return — State PrimaryPostmarked by**
2026-05-05Registration — State PrimaryBy Mail: Postmarked by*
2026-05-05Registration — State PrimaryBy Email/Online or Fax: Received by
2026-11-03Ballot Request — General ElectionReceived by
2026-11-03Ballot Return — General ElectionPostmarked by**
2026-11-03Registration — General ElectionBy Email/Online or Fax: Received by
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turnout.app/how-to-vote/oh · 2026-05-02 · NCSLOther states
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