Voters cast ballots in Beachwood during the primary election held on Aug. 2, 2022. The deadline to register to vote for the Nov. 8 election is coming up. (David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com)David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Planning to vote in November? The deadline to register, if you haven’t already done so is quickly approaching.

Tuesday, Oct. 11, is the voter registration deadline for the Nov. 8 election, which will include Ohio races for governor and other statewide offices, U.S. Senate, congress, the state legislature and three seats on the Ohio Supreme Court. Early voting begins the next day, on Wednesday, Oct. 12.

Here are a few common questions and answers about the process:

How can I check if I’m registered to vote?

Many county boards of elections, including Cuyahoga County, allow voters to check online. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s website has a statewide online registration lookup tool at https://voterlookup.ohiosos.gov/voterlookup.aspx. Voters must provide personal information, usually their last name and date of birth or county of residence, to see. Voters also can try contacting or visiting their local board of elections office.

How do I register to vote / update my registration?

There are three main options: online, by mail or in-person at your county board of elections.

The Ohio Secretary of State’s Office runs the online voter-registration system. Registering online requires voters to provide extra personal information, including a state driver’s license or state ID number. Click here to see the website, or visit https://olvr.ohiosos.gov/.

Registering by mail requires a voter to get a voter-registration form, fill it out and then mail it back, or otherwise deliver it to their county board of elections office. Cuyahoga County offers its own form, which is available on the Board of Elections website, and the Secretary of State’s Office has one, too.

Local libraries also have voter registration cards, including the Cleveland Public Library and Cuyahoga County Public Library systems.

Finally, a voter can visit their county board of elections office, get the form and fill it out there. Cuyahoga County’s office is in Cleveland, 2925 Euclid Ave. In Cuyahoga County, voters also can leave their registration forms at their county library branch, where elections workers will come collect them, according to Tony Perlatti, the county’s board of elections director.

For mailed voter-registration forms, they must be postmarked within 30 days of the election – by Tuesday – to be accepted. People who are physically returning their forms must do so in Cuyahoga County by 9 p.m. on Tuesday. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections has a secure drop box in its rear parking lot.

Perlatti said the most common mistake people make while filling out the paper form is not providing their signature.

Who is eligible to vote?

Anyone who is a U.S. citizen, and who will be at least 18 years old by Election Day, Nov. 8.

What if I miss the deadline?

If someone is not registered to vote in Ohio by Tuesday, they won’t be able to vote in the Nov. 8 election.

If someone is registered to vote in Ohio, but didn’t update the address listed in their voter file before Oct. 11, they still will be able to vote. But they will have to cast a provisional ballot, which aren’t counted immediately as elections workers spend extra time to verify the voter’s eligibility.

County boards of elections will offer in-person early voting starting Wednesday, Oct. 12. Early voting is available only at the board of elections office. Here are the hours in-person early voting will be available:

Weekdays, Oct. 12 to Oct. 28: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 29: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Weekdays, Oct. 31 to Nov. 4: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 5: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 6: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 7: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

What about voting by mail?

Voting by mail in Ohio is a two-step process: First, a voter must fill out an absentee request form. And then, they can either mail their completed ballot back to their county board of elections, or physically deliver it there.

Last month, State Frank LaRose mailed blank request forms to all 7.9 million registered Ohio voters last month, as LaRose and his predecessors have done for years.

On Wednesday, Oct. 12, county boards of elections will mail blank absentee ballots to those who have requested them.

In Cuyahoga County, elections officials have received about 115,000 absentee requests so far. In the November 2018 election, 173,000 voters cast mail ballots in Cuyahoga County.

“We’re getting a lot of phone calls people wondering why they haven’t gotten their ballot yet,” Perlatti said. “It’s because by law, we can’t mail it yet.”

Voters still can request an absentee ballot application form by contacting their local board of elections, or by visiting their local board of elections website. Ohio does not permit voters to request their ballots online, so they must print the form and return it to the board of elections.

As part of their request, a voter must provide their name, date of birth, address where they are registered to vote, signature and a personal identifying number, most often the last four digits of their social security or driver’s license number.

Perlatti said the most common mistake voters make is failing to correctly provide their date of birth, by either skipping the field or accidently providing another date, like the date they’re filling out the form, instead.

Voters who want an absentee ballot also can visit their county board of elections to request a form, and have the option of also fill out their ballot through a process that’s similar to in-person voting on Election Day.

Voters who plan to vote in person need to bring a form of ID, most commonly a driver’s license or state ID card. Also acceptable are utility bills or bank statements, as long as they are less than a year old.

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