Early voting has begun for the November 7, 2023, General Election in Ohio. Early voting begins the day after the close of voter registration, and registered voters may cast an early in-person ballot at their county board of elections. Ohio is one of 12 states that allows at least 29 days of early voting.

“Ohioans can be proud of the fact that our state is considered the gold standard for how we administer elections, as we make voting accessible and convenient, while ensuring confidence in the results because they are secure from fraud,” said Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.

“In Ohio, we make it easy to vote and hard to cheat, and early voting is another feature of our election system that makes voting accessible to every registered voter.”

When Ohioans head to the polls, voters will make their voices heard on two important statewide issues:

• Amendment Relating to Abortion and Other Reproductive Decisions
• To Commercialize, Regulate, Legalize, and Tax the Adult Use of Cannabis

What you need in heading to the polls

In December of 2022, the legislature passed House Bill 458 to modernize and strengthen how elections are administered in Ohio.

“To further enhance election security and guard against fraud, the new law requires voters to provide an Ohio or federally issued photo identification on Election Day. The photo ID requirement is supported by a vast majority of Ohioans,” said Secretary Frank LaRose.

Voters can show any of the Valid types of photo identification listed below:

• Ohio driver’s license
• State of Ohio ID card
• Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV
• US passport
• US passport card
• US military ID card
• Ohio National Guard ID card
• US Department of Veterans Affairs ID card

All photo IDs must have an expiration date that has not passed.

Voters and advocates of different statewide issues were at the Franklin County Board of Elections on Morse Road, Columbus promoting their issues.

As of today, more than 18,000+ absentee ballots have been requested in Franklin County. Those absentee ballots are being delivered to the post office today to coincide with the first day of early voting.

Below are the in-person early voting hours when Franklin County registered voters can vote at 1700 Morse Road, Columbus.

– Weekdays, October 11 through October 27 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

– Final week, Monday, October 30 from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

– Tuesday, October 31 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. – Last Day to Request Absentee Ballots  

– Wednesday, November 1 through Friday, November 3 from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

– Saturday, November 4 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

– Sunday, November 5 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

– No Voting Monday Before Election Day

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