OHIO — With Election Day approximately 50 days away, Ohio election officials are urging voters to prepare their voting plans as absentee ballot applications arrive in mailboxes.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is mailing official absentee ballot request forms to nearly 8 million registered voters across the state.
Ohio offers voters three methods to cast their ballot: in person on Election Day, early in person and by mail via absentee ballot. Voting rights advocates and election administrators recommend verifying identification requirements and choosing a preferred voting method well ahead of deadlines.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose emphasized that the state’s election system balances voter access with security measures.
“You don’t have to chose either convenience or security,” LaRose said. “It is undeniably easy to vote in the Buckeye State, but we also have secure elections. Those two go together and we’re proud to maintain that balance.”
Christine Corba, executive director for the Dayton chapter of the League of Women Voters, advised voters to begin preparing their voting plans now.
“Voting plans means that you are ready, you have your identification all correct, that your driver’s license is not expired,” Corba said.
She noted that having multiple voting options “gives people a lot of flexibility and it makes sure that everyone has the opportunity to have their voice heard.”
LaRose also warned voters to be cautious when filling out absentee ballot applications received in the mail from third-party groups.
“Campaigns and political parties and advocacy groups that mail out what they call absentee ballot request forms,” LaRose said. “Sometimes they don’t use the right form.” He noted that the official applications sent by the state ensure ballots are correctly requested.
To protect election integrity, Ohio law mandates a two-step identity verification process for absentee voters.
“We verify your identity first when you request absentee ballot and then you have to verify your identity a second time when you return your ballot, just like when you vote in person,” LaRose said.
Once submitted, voters can track their absentee ballots online to verify that they arrive safely at their local board of elections.
Early in-person voting across Ohio is scheduled to begin Oct. 6.