Ohio hasn’t made it easy for college students to vote, but you CAN vote if you meet the eligibility requirements. If you’re from out of state, you can even keep your driver’s license. We’ve made a list of the different scenarios that students may face so you can get through the November election without getting tripped up. Even if you’re already registered to vote in Ohio, read the section on how to cast your ballot, as that can be confusing:
How to register to vote in Ohio
Whether you came to Miami University from out of state or an Ohio community, you can register to vote in Ohio if you are a U.S. citizen, will be 18 years of age before Election Day (Nov. 5) and will have lived in Ohio for 30 days prior to the election. How you register to vote varies by what identification you have.
If you have an Ohio driver’s license or Ohio ID, go to voteohio.gov and register online no later than Oct. 7.
If you don’t have an Ohio driver’s license or Ohio ID, you can keep your out-of-state driver’s license and use the last four digits of your social security number to register. To do so, you will need to complete a paper voter registration form; you can print one from voteohio.gov and mail it in. Your registration form must reach the office of the Secretary of State or the county board of elections office by Oct. 7. If you keep your out-of-state driver’s license, you won’t be able to vote in person – you will need to vote by mail. Read further to learn how.
If you’re not sure if you’re registered to vote in Ohio, go to voteohio.gov and click on “look up your voter registration.”
How to cast your ballot if you have an unexpired Ohio driver’s license/Ohio ID, U.S. passport or military/veteran’s ID
If you have one of these forms of identification, you can vote at your assigned polling location on Election Day, or at your county Board of Elections during early voting (Oct. 8-Nov. 3). You can also vote by mail.
Find your assigned polling location and early voting times at voteohio.gov.
If you won’t be at your assigned polling location on Election Day or near your county board of elections during early voting times, you can either change your voter registration to your Oxford address or keep your registration as it is and vote by mail.
To change your voter registration address, go to voteohio.gov and make the change no later than Oct. 7. If you decide to vote by mail, you must complete a paper vote-by-mail application and return it to your county Board of Elections by Oct. 29. Find the form at voteohio.gov. Your vote-by-mail ballot will be sent to you via U.S. Mail. When you return the ballot, make sure the postmark is no later than Nov. 4 (earlier is better).
How to cast your ballot if you DON’T have an unexpired Ohio driver’s license/Ohio ID, U.S. passport or military/veteran’s ID
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If you don’t have one of these forms of identification, you must vote by mail using the last four digits of your social security number.
To vote by mail, you must complete a paper vote-by-mail application and return it to your county board of elections by Oct. 29. Find the form at voteohio.gov. Your vote-by-mail ballot will be sent to you via U.S. Mail; when you return the ballot, make sure the postmark is no later than Nov. 4 (earlier is better).
Printing and mailing
Some of these steps require you to print forms and mail them, so here are some options to consider.
Don’t have a printer? Use one of the printers at Armstrong Student Center, or stop by the Associated Student Government or Wilks office in Armstrong to pick up forms. You can also stop by the Howe Center for Writing Excellence in King Library to pick up forms.
Don’t have envelopes or stamps? The mail and package center in Shriver Center has both.
Questions? Confused about what to do?
Contact the Butler County Board of Elections for assistance at 513-887-3700.
Don’t get shut out of this election! Make sure that you can vote.
Kathie Brinkman is Co-President for Organization of League of Women Voters of Oxford. The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
At The Student, we are committed to engaging with our audience and listening to feedback. This includes publishing a diverse array of guest editorials. For more information on guidelines and processes, email Sam Norton, The Student's opinion editor at nortonsm@miamioh.edu.
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