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Voter Registration FAQs
The general rule:
Voting is a right, not a privilege that must be earned.
Q. What are the eligibility requirements for registering?
A. To register, you must be:
* a U. S. citizen
* 18 years old by the day of the General Election in November
* a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days before the day of the election NOT
currently in prison for a felony
* NOT declared “incompetent" for the purposes of voting” by a probate judge
Q. When is the deadline for registering?
A. The deadline for registering to vote for the
November election is 30 days before the day
of the election.
Q. Can I take a form with me for a friend?
A. Yes, you may take a form to someone else
to fill out and mail in. However, it might be
more efficient if the other person were to go
to any public library or deputy registrar of
motor vehicles (where you renew your
driver’s license) and fill out a voter registration
form there. Then s/he could be sure it would
get to the Board of Elections on time.
Q. May I register to vote if I have been in
prison for a felony?
A. Yes. Ohio law allows you to register and
vote as soon as you are released from prison,
even if you are on parole or probation. You do
not need to do anything besides fill out an
ordinary voter registration form. You cannot
vote if you are currently incarcerated.
Q. May I register to vote if I am 17 years old?
A. You may register while you are 17 if you
will be 18 by the General Election. You may
also vote in a Primary Election (for candidates
only, not on any ballot questions) while you
are 17 if you will be 18 by the General Election.
Q. May I register if I am a college student living
in a dormitory or apartment?
A. Yes. As a student, you may choose to vote
either where you attend school or “back
home,” depending on which place you now
consider your residence. The official
determination is “that place to which,
whenever they are absent, they intend to
return.” But you may NOT vote both places! If
you are registered “back home” and now
want to change that registration to your
school residence, be sure you fill out your
former registration address so it can be
cancelled.
Q. May I register if I am on or have been on
public assistance?
A. Yes. This does not in any way interfere
with your right to register and vote.
Q. May I register if I have just moved to Ohio?
A. Voter registration closes 30 days before an
election. So, if you are here in time to register
before the deadline, you will automatically
have been a resident for the required 30 days
before the election.
Q. May I register if I have just moved to this
county or to a different county within Ohio?
A. You should re-register in your new county
if you have changed your residence. Be sure
to fill in your old address where you were
registered so that it can be cancelled—and so
you can’t be accused of trying to register
twice.
Q. May I register using this form if I live in a
different county (not in this county)?
A. Fill out the registration form, putting your
county’s name at the top. We will turn all of
the completed forms into the Board of
Elections of this county and they will forward
the out-of-county forms to the correct
counties.
Q. What if I will be moving in October just
before Election Day?
A. You should register and vote in this
election from the address where you now live.
After the election, be sure to send a change of
address to the Board of Elections so they will
have you registered at your new address for
the next election.
Q. What if I just became a United States
citizen?
A. You became eligible to register to vote the
minute you became a citizen. In fact, many
jurisdictions provide voter registration
services at the citizenship ceremony.
Q. What if I do not speak English very well?
A. You do not need to speak fluent English to
vote. You may have help in filling out the
registration form; and you may have help in
voting, if you want it, from two election
workers who belong to different political
parties—or anyone else except your employer
or union officer or a candidate for office.
Q. What if I am homeless, living in a homeless
shelter, or living in temporary housing?
A. If you have someplace that will accept mail
for you (for example, a friend’s or relative’s
home, a church, a food pantry), you can
register from that address. You need to give
an address so the Board of Elections knows
where to send the postcard telling you the
location of your polling place.
Q. What if I am staying in a shelter for abused
spouses?
A. You need not use the address of the
shelter. Use your former home address to
register; then request an absentee ballot to be
sent to another address (perhaps where you
work, a friend’s, an attorney’s office). Or you
can vote by absentee ballot at the Board of
Elections office during office hours until the
day before the election.
Q. What if I am living in a nursing home?
A. You should register to vote from the
address where you now live. If you are in a
nursing home or assisted-living facility, you
may vote in person or by absentee ballot. If
you request an absentee ballot, note on it that
you are in a nursing home, and the Board of
Elections will send your ballot with two of their
employees from different political parties to
help you vote, if you want help. It is your
choice.
Q. What if I cannot read or write well, or have
developmental disabilities?
A. Someone else can fill out the registration
form for you and you can simply sign it or
make your mark. When you go to vote, explain
that you need help; you may be helped by
anyone you choose except your employer or
union officer or a candidate, or you can be
helped by two election workers of different
political parties. It is your choice.
Q. What if I have a “green card” but I’m not
a US citizen?
A. No, you may not register to vote in Ohio.
You must be a United States citizen. No
matter how long you have been a permanent
resident and have paid taxes, you may not
register and vote if you are not a citizen.
Q. What if I live in a different state?
A. We do not have the authority to register
residents of other states. We do not have the
forms or the information to ask you what the
laws of other states require. You need to get
in touch with that state’s Secretary of State or
League of Women Voters so they can tell you
what you need to do to register in your home
state.
Q. How do I declare my political party
affiliation?
A. You do not declare your party when you
register to vote in Ohio. You only declare your
party when you ask for one party’s ballot at a
Primary Election.
Q. Once registered, where do I go to vote?
A. The Board of Elections should send you
your registration card, with polling place
location, in the mail before November 2. If it
does not arrive, you should contact your
county board of elections to ensure you are
registered and to find the address of your
polling place. Consider voting an absentee
ballot if you expect to be away from the
county on Election Day.
Q. Who can vote absentee?
A. Anyone can apply for an absentee ballot.
Contact your county Board of Elections. The
Board of Elections has special arrangements
available for persons with disabilities and
persons who have medical emergencies the
day of election. Contact your county Board of
Elections for further information. Absentee
ballots must be received at the county Board
of Elections office by 7:30 PM on Election Day
in order to be counted. Ballots mailed from
outside the United States must be
postmarked by Election Day and will be
counted if received by the Board of Elections
up to 10 days after an election.
•League of Women Voters of the Lima Area - 333 Ponderosa Trail, Lima, OH 45805 • © 2009 - All Rights Reserved.•