This is your QUICK GUIDE to all things new and different in the way Ohioans register to vote and cast their ballot. You'll find information on this page about changes to:
- ELECTION CALENDAR
- EARLY VOTING
- ELECTION DAY VOTING LISCENSES/ID CARDS
- CHECK YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION & FIND YOUR POLLING PLACE
- VOTE BY MAIL
- OTHER CHANGES & INFORMATION
- YOUR QUESTIONS
- VOTE411.ORG
- VOTERS GUIDE
2023 SPECIAL ELECTION | AUGUST 8, 2023
-
JULY 11--Early In-Person Voting at Boards of Elections begins and includes the Saturday, Aug. 5, and Sunday, Aug. 6, before Election Day. NO MONDAY, AUG 7th HOURS!
-
JULY 11--Absentee Voting By Mail starts. Click here to download an application.
-
AUG 1--Deadline for absentee ballot applications to be received by county Boards of Elections.
-
AUG 7--Deadline to postmark your mail ballot AND it must be received by the Board of Elections by August 12. We suggest you drop in the dropbox at your Board of Elections office. Portage County Board of Elections is located at the county administration building, 449 S.Meridian St., Ravenna, OH.
-
AUG 8--Election Day: Tuesday, August 8. Polls open 6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. Find your polling place here.
-
AUG 8, 7:30 PM--Deadline for mailed ballots to be personally delivered to your County Board of Elections.
-
AUG 12--Deadline for boards to receive mail-ballots that have been postmarked on or before August 12.
Early Voting
You'll need one of the following forms of unexpired Photo IDs:
- BMV issued Ohio license or ID card (old address acceptable)
- U.S. Military, U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs, or Ohio National Guard card
- U.S. Passport Book/Card
You can no longer:
- Vote with the last four digits of your Social Security Number.
- Use a copy of a Photo ID, utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document as a form of ID.
- Vote on the last Monday before Election Day.
Election Day Voting
Find your polling place by clicking here.
You'll need one of the following forms of unexpired Photo IDs:
- BMV issued Ohio license or ID card (old address acceptable)|
- U.S. Military, U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs, or Ohio National Guard card.
- U.S. Passport Book/Card.
You can no longer:
- Vote with the last four digits of your Social Security Number.
- Use a copy of a Photo ID, utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document as a form of ID.
BMV Issued Licenses/ID Cards
Beginning on April 7, 2023:
-
Any permanent or temporary resident of Ohio 17 years of age or older qualifies for a BMV issued State ID Card free of charge if that person:
-
is not licensed as an operator of a motor vehicle in this or any other state.
-
does not hold an identification card from another state.
-
-
All non-citizens who apply for a license or ID card of any kind will have a notification on their card that indicates they are not a citizen of the United States.
-
Individuals who becomes citizens of the U.S. may qualify for a free replacement of their license/ID card if all of the following is true
-
The card is valid and its expiration date is not within 90 days of expiration.
-
Their current card indicates the cardholder was a noncitizen
-
The applicant is a U.S. citizen at the time of application.
-
Please note that an ID card is not the same as a license and does not grant you the privilege to operate any motor vehicle.
Vote by Mail
You will now need to:
- (Click on this link.) Use an official request form 11-A from the Secretary of State to vote by mail.
- Submit an absentee ballot application by the 7th day before Election Day, which is Aug. 1 for the 2023 Aug. 8 Special Election.
- Deliver your mail ballot in person to your local Board of Elections by 7:30 PM on Election Day OR send it via USPS in which it must be postmarked by the day before Election Day AND received by the 4th day after Election Day.
You can now:
-
Use your U.S. Passport Book/Card as a form of ID.
You can still use the last four digits of your Social Security Number as a form of ID to vote by mail.
You can no longer:
- Use a copy of a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document as a form of ID.
- Request to vote by mail with any written application other than a Form 11-A.
Information & More Changes...
An exception to the photo ID requirement exists for person with a religious objection to being photographed. They can vote with the last four digits of their social security number during early voting or on Election Day AND must sign an "Affidavit of Religious Objection". The affidavit and vote will be void if the voter is found to have a currently unexpired photo ID.
Curbside Voting is now more prohibitive and only available to voters who are "physically unable to enter the polling place". However, a disability claim cannot be contested by an elections official.
Questions
Have more questions? Visit the site of the Portage County Board of Elections at portagecounty-oh.gov/board-elections. You can email us at the League of Women Voters of Kent, lwvkent [at] gmail.com or call us at (330) 271-6188.
Personalized Voting Information for you at VOTE411.ORG
- See what's on your ballot.
- Check your voter registration.
- Find your polling place.
- Discover upcoming debates in your area.
- Candidate and issue information for Portage County and all of its municipalities uploaded by the League of Women Voters of Kent.
- FREE and accessible 24 hours.
- Nonpartisan.
- Candidates enter their own information online.
- And much more to get you ready to vote.
- Click here to go to vote411.org.
Special Election 2023 Voters Guide information can be found ONLINE VOTE411.ORG.
The downloadable print version, click HERE.