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IMPORTANT INFORMATION |
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Polls are open 6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. Anyone in line at 7:30 will be permitted to vote. FRANKLIN | Delaware | Fairfield | Licking | Madison | Pickaway | Union Directory of all Boards of Elections LWV ELECTION PROTECTION HOTLINE, FRANKLIN COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS: 1700 Morse Road, just east of Karl Road, 614-525-3100 SECRETARY OF STATE: 614-466-2585 (Elections Division) CHANNEL 10: Phone bank 614-212-6949 | Main liine 614-460-3700 ---------------------------------------------------
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Example: 200 E. 12th Street FRANKLIN | Delaware | Fairfield | Licking | Madison | Pickaway | Union Directory of all Boards of Elections In many smaller counties, such as Madison, look for Voter Registration Information. Fill out the voter's name, then click OK or next. You will find the voter's polling place and sample ballot. Voters may not vote in person at their county Board of Elections on election day; they must go to their proper polling location. |
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Note: The process differs on different counties' websites. FRANKLIN | Delaware | Fairfield | Licking | Madison | Pickaway | Union |
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I am not in the poll book, but I should be / improperly removed |
Are you in the correct polling place? If so, vote a provisional ballot today. Tomorrow, contact the Board of Elections and talk to them about it. The poll worker at the roster table will look up your current address to determine if you are in the right polling place. If you are not, they will provide you with the address of the correct polling place. Go to your correct polling place and vote there. A provisional ballot will not count if you're not in the right polling place. (Anyone who wants to vote a provisional ballot must be permitted to do so.) |
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Acceptable IDs: PHOTO IDS:
NON-PHOTO IDS:
NOT acceptable IDs:
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Within Ohio: Always vote at the polling place for your new/current address. If you were registered in Ohio and moved, either within the county or to a different county, and if you re-registered at your new address by October 4, you vote a regular ballot at your new precinct. If you moved within your same voting location (e.g., from one apartment to another within the same building) and your ID is good, vote a regular ballot but fill out a change of address form. If you moved to a new precinct but did NOT re-register at your new address, you will vote a provisional ballot at your new precinct. You will also be given a change of address form, so you'll be all set for next time. This includes students at Ohio colleges who are registered to vote in Ohio. If the student is registered but did not request an absentee ballot to vote at home, he or she can vote a provisional ballot at their new polling place and fill out a change of address form. This will change their permanent address to their address at school. If the student moves next year, s/he will need to update their voter registration again.
Moved from a different state? You must have registered to vote in Ohio by the deadline to vote here (30 days prior to the election). |
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If you have changed your name, but forgot to update your voter registration, you can vote a regular ballot this time, but ONLY IF you bring in legal proof of your name change (such as a marriage license or court order), as well as another form of ID that shows your current address. The election official will help you fill out a "change of name" form, and you'll be all set for the next election. If you don't bring legal documentation, you'll vote a provisional ballot. If you also moved to a different address, see instructions above, under MOVED. You will have to vote a provisional ballot, even if you moved within the same precinct, because you also changed your name. |
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The deadline to have requested an absentee ballot was Saturday at noon. If you already have applied for an absentee ballot, your voted ballot must be received by your Board of Elections before 7:30 tonight. It is too late to mail it. (Must be postmarked the day before the election.) Take your ballot to your County board of Elections ballot drop box, NOT to a polling place. The Franklin County Board of Elections is at 1700 Morse Road, just east of Karl Road. This is where early voting has taken place for the last several years. Before that, it was a Kohl's store. If you requested an absentee ballot but did not receive it or did not return it, or if you asked for a ballot but decided that you want to vote in person, you may vote a provisional ballot at your polling place. It will be counted if the Board has not also received your voted absentee ballot. DO NOT BRING YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT TO YOUR POLLING PLACE. |
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You can track the progress of your absentee ballot. On the Franklin County Board of Elections site, DO NOT CLICK THE RED "TRACK MY BALLOT" BUTTON today. It signs the voter up for an email notification program. It's nice, but not helpful for people who need to know right now. On election day, use the Menu at the top to select My Registration. Fill that out, click login, and the caller's absentee ballot tracking appears at the bottom of the page. Note: The process differs on different counties' websites. In smaller counties, like Licking, look for a link like Absentee Information or Absentee Look-up in the colored bar at the top of the page. FRANKLIN | Delaware | Fairfield | Licking | Madison | Pickaway | Union |
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Yes. In Ohio they are the first ballots counted after the polls close at 7:30. In fact, when you hear news reports with projections of the results soon after the polls close with "zero precincts reporting," it is the early and absentee ballots that are being reported. Absentee ballots that arrive within 10 days after Election Day (postmarked the day before the election) and authenticated provisional ballots are counted and included in the final vote tally that is announced 21 days after the election. |
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Provisional ballots are paper ballots a person may be required to use to vote – instead of getting to vote on the machines – if there is some question about the voter's identity. The main reasons you'd have to vote provisionally are:
A provisional ballot has all the candidates and issues that you would vote if you were using the machines. There is also identification information that the voter MUST fill out completely and sign. Once the Board of Elections processes the information provided, and it knows that you are registered and in the right polling place, the vote is counted. This is one of the reasons why election results are not officil until 21 days after an election. If a provisional voter has no ID and refuses to add the last 4 digits of their SS number to the required paperwork, they have 7 days to bring a good ID to the Board of Elections. Otherwise their provisional ballot can not be counted. |
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Once the Board of Elections determines that the provisional voter is who they say they are and is voting in the correct polling place, the provisional ballot will be counted. Provisional voters will be given a hotline number (866-644-6868) to find out whether their provisional ballot will be/has been counted. Voters have up to 7 days after the election to provide any additional information that may be needed to make their provisional vote count. |
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If I vote a provisional ballot in the wrong polling place, will any of my selections count? |
No, they will not count. The poll workers will direct you to the proper polling location. |
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Anybody who doesn't want to vote on the machines can request a paper regular ballot instead. If the lines are too long, or if there is a problem with the machines, voters must be reminded that they can vote on paper ballots. The difference between paper and provisional ballots is that paper ballots go directly into the secure box of voted ballots that get counted right away. Provisional ballots are set aside until the voter's eligibility can be confirmed. |
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In Ohio, you cannot change your vote once it has been cast. |
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Felons can vote in Ohio, if they are no longer in prison and are registered to vote. An otherwise qualified person convicted of a felony may register and vote while on probation or parole or after completing his or her prison sentence. |
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Many people mistakenly believe they lose their right to vote while they are detained in jail or while they are awaiting trial. Anyone who is a resident of Ohio, not detained for a felony conviction and meets other eligibility requirements can vote. This includes the thousands of Ohio residents currently detained in one of 72 county jails and who have not yet been convicted of a felony. Call the ACLU of Ohio for assistance: (216) 472-2200. |
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Any voter may have help in voting, if they want it, from two poll workers of different parties OR from a person of the voter's choice, except their employer or the employer's agent, a labor union officer, or a candidate on the ballot. If the voter's assistant/s physically touch the screen or the paper (i.e., they don't just talk to the voter) then the assistant/s must sign a form saying that they helped to the best of their ability and that they will not disclose how the voter voted. Voting machines have adaptations so voters with disabilities can vote a secret ballot. Voting machines also have an audible ballot option for people with visual impairments. (The poll workers will explain how to use the machine). The machines can be lowered to serve voters in wheelchairs. |
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Curbside voting allows a voter who is unable to access to polling location to vote a paper ballot from his or her vehicle. The voter has the driver or another person go into the polling place and alert the poll workers that they need to vote curbside. Two pollworkers, one from each major part, will come out and work with the voter. |
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The voter must be hospitalized or have a minor child who is hospitalized. The procedure is complicated: The voter fills out and signs a Hospitalized Absentee Ballot Request Form (available from hospital social workers or by calling the Board of Elections). The form must be received by the Board of Elections by 3 p.m. on Election Day. The Board will send 2 poll workers (D and R) to the hospital to assist the voter. The poll workers deliver the voted ballots to the Board of Elections, where they will be counted, even if they arrive after the polls have closed. Or the voter can ask the Board to give your unmarked ballot to a designated family member who will deliver it to the voter in the hospital and return it to the Board of Elections. |
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It's too late to register to vote in today's election. But, yes, you can register online on the Ohio Secretary of State's website: https://olvr.sos.state.oh.us/ You may vote in the next election so long as you register not less than 30 days prior to that election. |
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Sample ballots can be found on Board of Elections web sites, once a polling place has been found. Many Boards of Elections also have an "interactive" sample ballot, which allows people to mark their choices online and print out their choices. The League's www.vote411.org also allows people to make selections on line and text or email themselves their choices. Neither of these casts an actual vote. There is no on-line voting in Ohio. FRANKLIN | Delaware | Fairfield | Licking | Madison | Pickaway | Union |
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Only official write-in candidates will be counted. The names of write-in candidates do not appear on the ballot. Instead, a list of all valid write-in candidates must be available at each polling place for review by a voter upon the voter’s request. FRANKLIN | Delaware | Fairfield | Licking | Madison | Pickaway | Union |
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On a paper ballot, there will be a space to write in a candidate. On the machines: If there are registered write-in candidates for an office, a "Write In " button will appear on the screen, and you can write in your candidate:
If there are no registered write-ins for an office, the "Write In" button will not appear for that office. |
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Type in your address to see your races and ballot issues. Making selections on Vote411 is NOT VOTING. There is no way to vote via computer or phone in Ohio. |
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The League's voter information site Vote411.org has the judicial candidates' answers to several questions, in their own words. Judicial Votes Count from the League of Women Voters and its partners information includes Bar Association recommendations. |
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Until this year, Ohio judges ran on a nonpartisan ballot, meaning that their party affiliation was not listed by their names. For the first time, candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court and Ohio appellate courts will have their party affiliations alongside their names. Candidates for municipal and common please court judges still will not be identified with their party. They will have NP after their name, which stands for Non Partisan. If a caller wants to know the judicial candidates' party affiliation, the best source is the county parties' recommended ballots. In Franklin County, those are Republican and Democrat. |
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Do I have to vote for the same party I voted for in the Primary? |
No. You can vote for whomever you want to in the general election -- all from the same party, some from each party, certified write-in candidates, whatever. Also, you do not need to have voted in the Primary to vote in the General election. |
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No. It's against the law to take a picture of your ballot. This is to ward against someone intimidating/paying a voter to vote a certain way and demanding proof of that vote. |
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Do not wear/carry any campaign attire, such as t-shirts, hats, buttons, or printed matter. You will be asked to remove or cover them, because such attire counts as electioneering. Electioneering is not allowed within 100 feet of a polling place (and certainly not inside the polling place). |
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What is the No Campaigning area? What are the flags for?
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No electioneering/campaigning is allowed within 100 feet of the voting location. Flags are typically placed outside the voting location at the 100-foot mark. Electioneering includes distributing campaign literature and wearing/displaying political t-shirts, hats, buttons. It also includes discussions of a political nature in the polling location. |
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Official observers (those allowed inside the polling places) must be registered Ohio voters and certified by a party and must take an oath agreeing to abide by the rules. State rules bar “impeding, interfering with, or disrupting the election in some manner” or “intimidating, harassing, or attempting to influence voters or precinct election officials.” The regulations stress: “Observers may not serve as enforcers of the laws nor act as advocates for voters before the precinct election officials.” Observers may not challenge a person's right to vote. A voter may be challenged only by a precinct election official or the voting location manager and only for certain reasons. Challenges are extremely rare. Voting-age adults are not permitted in the polling place unless they are there to vote or assist a voter, are election officials/poll workers, are temporarily in the polling place to check the posted "register of voters" list, or are official election observers. |
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1) Speak to the poll worker called the Voting Location Manager or Presiding Judge
3) Call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683), the non-partisan voter protection hotline sponsored by LWV and more. |
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Ohio’s election system has many layers of protection, so voters can be confident of a fair and accurate election.
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The results of elections in Ohio are not certified as official until 21 days after the election. For local and statewide candidates and issues, unless the race is very tight, the Boards of Elections will have a good idea of the winner by the end of election night (no earlier than when the polls are closed) or the next day. In Ohio, very close races (i.e., a difference of less than .5% of ballots cast between to candidates) are subject to an automatic recount. |
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The League of Women Voters is nonpartisan. We never support or oppose political parties or candidates. We do take positions on some issues, after our members have studied and come to consensus on them. The League has no position on this election's ballot issues. |
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Yes! The League is open to all men and women. You can join online at www.lwvcols.org. Or give us your name, phone number, street address, and email, and someone will contact you soon. |
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A ballot issue with a levy is a request for funds to be raised immediately by taxing the value of property. In FranklinCounty, levies are used to provide funds for schools, COTA, Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging, Franklin County Children Services, Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities, etc. Levies are expressed in "mills," or the percentage of property value to be taxed. A ballot issue with a bond issue is a request for permission to essentially take out a loan to pay for capital improvements (buildings, roads, other infrastructure, etc.). The money is received up front from the sale of bonds to investors and paid back by the taxpayers, with interest, over time. Although bonds end up costing more, they also spread out the costs to people in the future who will be the users of the new school or bridge. Ballot issues are expressed in the total dollar amount to be borrowed. |
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Millage is a way to express property tax rates. A mill is equal to 1/1000th of a dollar. The taxable value of property in Ohio is 35% of the value as appraised by the county auditor. So, for example, if you see a ballot issue asking for a 2 mill levy, and your house is worth $100,000 (according to the county auditor, not your realtor), the tax being asked for is: $100,000 (value of your house) x .35 (to find the taxable value) x .002 (which is 2 one-thousandths of a dollar) = $70 per year. Some counties have slick calculators where you look by school district or plug in your address: Franklin Co.: http://apps.franklincountyauditor.com/LevyEstimator Delaware Co: http://delaware-auditor-ohio.manatron.com/TaxEstimatorSite.aspx |
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New, Renewal, or Replacement levies |
New levies are just that: a new property tax. A renewal levy means that the tax you owe for this levy will remain the same, even if your property value has increased since the last time this levy was enacted. A replacement levy may sound the same, but it will almost always cost more. Many times, a replacement levy will ask for a higher levy amount. However, even if it asks for the exact same millage as the expiring levy it replaces, it will likely cost more because it will be based on the (almost always) increased value of your property since the last time the levy was enacted. So, a ballot issue that renews a 2 mill levy from the year 2010, when your home was worth $100,000, will cost pretty much the same as it did in the year 2010, even if your house is now worth $200,000. If the agency asks for a 2 mill replacement levy, it will cost more because it is based on your property now being worth $200,000. |
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