Ohio is only days away from the deadline to register to vote in the state’s Aug. 8 special election.
The election is being held only to vote on Issue 1, which Republicans have brought forward to make it harder for voters to amend the Ohio Constitution by raising the threshold from 50% to 60%. That means a simple majority, or 50% +1 vote, would no longer be considered a win for amending the Ohio Constitution. This would impact voters’ ability to successfully legalize abortion in the state, which is set to go before voters in November. Other initiatives that would be impacted include changing marijuana laws, raising the minimum wage and reforms to redistricting.
Everything hinges on the Aug. 8 special election, so here are some important dates to keep in mind:
July 10: Voter registration deadline for the Aug. 8 primary
July 11: First day of early in-person voting
Aug. 1: Absentee ballot applications must be turned in
Aug. 8: Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and absentee ballots are due by close of polls.
To register to vote or check your registration status, visit the Ohio Secretary of State website.
What you need to vote
A controversial new law requires voters to present a valid ID to vote in person.
Acceptable forms of ID include:
- Ohio driver’s license
- State of Ohio ID card
- Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- U.S. military ID card
- Ohio National Guard ID card
- US Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
- An expiration date that has not passed
- A photograph of the voter
- The voter’s name, which must substantially conform to the voter’s name as it appears in the poll list or in the poll book.
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This article appears in Jun 28 – Jul 11, 2023.