TOLEDO — This year, Ohio voters will decide on their congressional representatives, who will hold one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats, as well as who will replace Republican Mike DeWine as governor.
But before these big decisions are made in November, voters must decide on who the main candidates will be — as in some races — there’s more than one Democrat or Republican running for the same position. And that’s where a primary comes in: to reduce the field of candidates in any given race down to just two. So if you plan on voting in Ohio’s May primary, here are three things to know.
1. Registering to vote
While registering to vote can be done in person at your county board of elections office, or by mail, a quick way of doing it is through the secretary of state’s website. To complete this process efficiently, have both your driver’s license/state ID and Social Security number on hand. Keep in mind that, under Ohio law, those who’ve registered less than 30 days from an election are ineligible to vote in it. So simply put, April 6 is the final day to register to vote in the upcoming primary.
2. When, and how, to vote
Ohio offers both early and absentee voting.
Early in-person voting begins on April 7, a Tuesday — and from there — will only take place on certain days and during certain hours. Here are those dates and hours, per the secretary of state’s voting schedule:
Tuesday, April 7 – Friday, April 10 | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday, April 13 – Friday, April 17 | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday, April 20 – Friday, April 24 | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday, April 27 – Friday, May 1 | 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 2 | 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, May 3 | 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Remember that if you choose to vote this way, you’d be casting your ballot at the county board of elections office — not your precinct location.
Absentee voting, or vote-by-mail, also begins on April 7. To vote this way, one must first request a ballot. That can be done by filling out the application online, printing it, and mailing it to the county board of elections office. Another way of requesting a ballot is to call the county BOE directly.
3. Figuring out what & who will be on the ballot
The Toledo Free Press will continue to interview the candidates you’ll see on your ballot, as part of the Toledo Free Press Voter’s Guide, which can be found on YouTube and Spotify. Consuming these interviews is a great way to gain an understanding of who candidates are and the policies they support. But if you’d like something of a replica of what your ballot will look like, many county boards of election provide a ‘sample ballot’ on their website.
