Editor’s Column: So, you might have heard it’s an election year—here’s how to vote
By Editor-in-Chief J.W. Dennison
As you might have heard from the never-ending news coverage, it is an election year—not just any election year, but a presidential election year. No big deal. However, seeing how the presidential election coverage has been nonstop, it might be worth examining what you will see further down the ballot.
Weirdly enough, while the things further down the ballot can affect you and your neighbors more directly, all the attention is paid to the race for the Oval Office. Hopefully, this can serve as a useful guide to issues in the local area. School levies, state and national congressmen, and even state constitutional amendments can impact your day-to-day. Let’s break it down a bit.
How do I vote?
This question depends on the state you live in. For this article, we will be looking at Ohio, but if you live in another state, I highly recommend going to Vote.gov. There, you can register to vote and learn more about voting options in your area.
Registering:
This is important. Before you vote, you must register to vote, which you can do at VoteOhio.gov. You need to be registered to vote by Oct. 7. Even if you have been registered to vote in the past, you may want to visit https://voterlookup.ohiosos.gov/voterlookup.aspx to make sure that you still are.
Over 155,000 voters were removed from Ohio’s voter rolls in early August for several reasons. One reason your name could’ve been removed is voter inactivity. If you didn’t vote in the last four years, you are no longer registered in the system. If you updated your address with the BMV but not in your voter registration, the irregularity is grounds to remove you from the voter rolls.
Ways to vote:
If you’ve registered by Oct. 7 and survived all the campaigning efforts, you can cast your ballot several ways in Ohio. You can participate in early voting, vote in person or use an absentee ballot.
Early voting guide
The day after voter registration is over, early voting begins. Every county board of elections will be open for you to come in and cast your vote. Remember, it must be the county where you are registered to vote, and the hours vary from office to office. This is a great option if you don’t want to wait in long lines on election day and don’t want to use an absentee ballot.
Click here to find where your home county’s board of elections is located.
In-person voting guide
The polls open on Nov. 5 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. If you show up to the polls at 7:31 p.m., you’ve missed your chance to participate in democracy. You will also miss your chance if you go to the wrong polling place, which is why I've included this link to help you find your polling place.
Before you leave home, make sure you have one of these forms of ID on you since Ohio requires photo identification to vote.
Ohio driver's license;
State of Ohio ID card;
Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV;
US passport;
US passport card;
US military ID card;
Ohio National Guard ID card; or
US Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
When you walk into the polling location, you will be greeted by poll workers who will check you in, give you your ballot, and answer questions you may have about filling out the ballot or what to do when you're done. They also give you an “I Voted” sticker to show off how good of a citizen you are.
Below is what you can expect the ballot to look like:
Absentee ballots guide
With absentee voting, you will need to fill out an application and mail it to your home county’s board of elections. You will be asked to provide your name, the address where you’re registered to vote, the address where you receive mail, and proof of who you are, such as your social security or driver's license number. The deadline for this application is Oct. 29.
Once you’ve sent the absentee ballot application, you will receive your ballot in the mail. You can fill it out and return it to your county board of elections to be counted.
This option may be worthwhile if you live far away from campus, don’t want to drive back to your hometown, or can’t because it’s four hours away and you have classes or work.
