Last day to register to vote, general elections tips from SOS LaRose
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The deadline to register to vote in Ohio November’s election, ends Tuesday, Oct. 10.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose sat down with News Center 7′s Xavier Hershovitz to talk about the upcoming election.
Wednesday, Oct. 11, is the first day of early voting, and Ohio is one of the states to have Saturday early voting.
“We’re always happy to welcome Ohioans to the four weeks of early voting, it begins tomorrow. Really, for the last couple of weeks early voting has been underway for overseas and military personnel. We started sending out absentee ballots to them a couple of weeks ago,” LaRose said.
LaRose said voting through absentee ballots is not only convenient but secure. Voters can take as much time as they need on an absentee ballot while researching to decide who and what to vote for.
“It’s a chance to be a really informed voter,” LaRose said.
Voters can visit voteohio.gov/track to track their absentee ballot when they mail it back to the board of elections.
After August’s special election saw a record turnout, LaRose anticipates the general election to be no different.
>>RELATED: August Special Election Results
“When Ohioans know that there’s an important issue on the ballot, they show up and vote and so that’s something that we’re proud of,” LaRose said.
This election cycle features candidates for local executive positions, including city council and school board members. But many Ohioans are ready to vote for both Issue 1 and Issue 2.
Issue 1 is a constitutional amendment and pertains to the right to make reproductive decisions and Issue 2 is an initiated statute that pertains to the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Initiated statutes amend state law, according to LaRose. An issue can appear on the ballot if citizens gather signatures or if the legislature refers it.
>>RELATED: What Ohioans should know about the upcoming November general election
LaRose said his office works closely with the board of elections offices, county sheriffs, and city police to make sure polling locations have the right security and a positive environment.
“It’s not a place for people to sort of engage in political protest or anything like that… You’re there to do an important civic duty, to cast your ballot,” LaRose said.
Last year, the state legislature changed the law and now requires a photo ID to vote.
“Now the only form of acceptable identification is a government-issued photo ID… You want to make sure that your driver’s license or your state ID is current if it’s expired,” LaRose said.
Legislation has waived the fee to get a state-issued ID at any BMV in Ohio.
If voters lose their ID, they will be issued a provisional ballot which is not counted on election day or night and is instead put aside until the voter can prove their identity.
“We’re careful to make sure that nobody’s left out of the process,” LaRose said.
While other states have had to reduce the number of polling locations due to the lack of poll workers after COVID-19, Ohio launched five different recruitment programs to make sure Ohio would have enough workers.
“Ohioans responded…If you want to become a legitimate election expert consider signing up as a poll worker.
LaRose says Ohio will have enough poll workers when election day occurs.
“It’s always a process through the month leading up to it and each county is different. We track it on a county-by-county basis. Some counties may already have the number they need. Others may continue recruiting all the way through the week before,”
He reminds Ohioans to register to vote on Tuesday, as it is the last day and research before heading to the polls.
“It’s important for people to do their homework, to do their research, to be informed voters. Sometimes people call an election like 2023 and off-year election, we don’t consider there to be any off years,” LaRose said.
