Registering to vote is simple to do. You must be at least 18 and a U.S. citizen in order to register. You fill out a form with your name, birth date, citizenship status, age, current address, and signature; then submit that form to your local Board of Elections. For more details, see Register to Vote.

You can register to vote at any of the following locations:

• The Board of Elections office in your county. You may call the board to request that a form be sent to you in the mail.
• Any Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles office or BMV deputy registrar.
• Any public or vocational school.
• Any public library.
• The county treasurer’s office in your county.
• Any voter registration drive in your area.

You can also get a voter registration form, fill it out, and submit it by mail to your Board of Elections. For more details, see Register to Vote.

Ohio voters can verify current voter registration status by going to the Ohio Secretary of State’s website (Franklin County voters may visit the Board of Elections website) and supplying four items of information: Last Name, Street Name, Zip Code, County. After clicking on the Search button, you should see a list of all registered voters with the specified last name on the specified street. Click on the + sign to the left of a name to expand the listing to show Voter Address, Voter History, Precinct Name, and Polling Location Name and Address. (If you believe you are registered but do not find your name in the database, try using only the first few letters of your first or last name; sometimes errors are made entering voters' names into the system.)

Voters in Franklin, Union, and Fairfield counties can also check their voter registration status on websites run by their Boards of Elections. Voters in other central Ohio counties must use the Secretary of State’s website or call their Board of Elections.

Franklin County voters can Search by Name by providing First Name and Last Name. Both fields are required, but each may be partial or complete. After clicking on the Search button, you should see a list of all registered voters with first and last names starting with the values you supplied, along with street address and city for each. (If you believe you are registered but do not find your name in the database, try using only the first few letters of your first or last name; sometimes errors are made entering voters' names into the system.) Click on a name to expand the entry to show address including zip code, party affiliation, polling location, precinct code, and congressional, state senate, state representative, and school districts. Sample ballots can also be viewed when available, approximately five weeks before an election.

Franklin County voters can also Search by Address for Polling Location by supplying three items of information: House Number, Street Name, Zip Code. Information available is similar to that described above, except without the voter name and party affiliation.

Union County voters can visit their Board of Elections website and then follow the “Am I Registered” link in the left column. This search allows you to search by First Name, Last Name, or both, with a partial or complete name in either field. After clicking on the Search button, you should see a list of all registered voters with first and last names starting with the values you supplied, along with each voter’s address, precinct, and polling location. Click on the "Details" link to the left of the name to expand the entry to show voting districts.

Fairfield County voters can visit their Board of Elections website and then follow the “Voter Query” link in the left column. This search allows you to search by First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, Street, Zip, or combinations of those fields with either partial or complete entries. After clicking on the Submit button, you should see a list of all registered voters matching the values you supplied, along with each voter’s address, party affiliation, precinct, and polling place. Click on a name to expand the entry to show districts, voting history, and sample ballots.

In most cases, you must register at least 30 days prior to Election Day.

However, if you are able to visit your Board of Elections in person, it is possible to register and vote in one visit to the Board of Elections during a six-day period from the 35th to the 30th day before Election Day. (This period is the brief overlap between when absentee ballots are issued and when voter registration closes for the upcoming election.)

You must be 18 years old on or before the date of the general election. In addition, to vote in a primary election, the same rule applies: you must be 18 years old on or before the date of the November general election. If you are not yet 18 on the day of the primary election, you will only be able to vote for candidates (not issues) in the primary.

No. Once you have registered and voted in a general election, you do not have to re-register as long as your registration information (name and address) does not change.

If you move, you need to fill out a new voter registration form. See Register to Vote for complete details.

If you move within your county, or even within the state, without updating your voter registration, you may still vote on Election Day. You must go to your new polling location -- the precinct that serves your current address -- and vote there using a provisional ballot. Take identification with you. Be sure to file a change-of-address form when you vote.

After you register to vote, you should receive a card in the mail from the Board of Elections telling you where your polling location is. You can also call the Board of Elections office in your county or visit the board’s website.

If you live in Franklin County, you can also call the League of Women Voters office at (614) 837-1089.

On the day of each general election, the League of Women Voters staffs a Phone Bank at WBNS-10TV to answer voters' questions, including questions about where to vote.

Yes. Franklin County voters can preview their ballot online, typically about five weeks prior to Election Day. By searching their name at the Franklin County Board of Elections website, voters can pull up a personalized sample ballot.

The League of Women Voters recommends that you review the entire ballot prior to voting and educate yourself about all of the candidates and issues. To make voting easier and faster, the League suggests taking a sample ballot to the polls with your preferences indicated.

Read more at the Secretary of State’s website about voters with disabilities. Ohio voters with hearing impairments may call the Secretary of State’s office TTY at (614) 466-0562 to get information about voting accommodations. You can also contact your county Board of Elections by phone or via its website (view a list here). Ohio Legal Rights Service has published useful information for voters with disabilities, including information about the types of accommodations available.

You have to request an absentee ballot from your county Board of Elections. You can do this in one of two ways:

• Go in person to your county Board of Elections office and vote your ballot then; or
• Download a form (.pdf) and mail it in. (You may also write a letter requesting an absentee ballot, but the League recommends that you use the form to ensure that you supply all of the necessary information.) The absentee ballot will be mailed to you.

Learn more about voting by mail before Election Day.

Military and overseas voters have a new service available to them. Learn more.

Yes. Ohio law permits convicted felons to vote so long as they are not currently serving a felony sentence of incarceration.  Once a convicted felon is released from physical incarceration (probation, parole, or completion of sentence), he or she can re-register to vote and vote.

If you face problems while voting -- if you are turned away from the polls, or told you must vote a provisional ballot, or encounter irregularities in voting machines or procedures -- call the Voter Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE. Staffed by attorneys, this line offers free, confidential, nonpartisan advice to citizens who have problems voting.