Early in-person and absentee voting for the Nov. 8 general election started Wednesday, Oct. 12.
This voter guide can help you to navigate the election, including information on how to vote and the names of the candidates that will appear on your ballot.
Am I registered to vote?
The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 8 general election was Oct. 11, 2022. Boards of elections are open until 9 p.m. that evening for in-person registration.
Check here to see if you are registered, and if not, get registered here.
If you register or update your information after the deadline, the change will apply for the next election.
Early voting
Early voting began Wednesday, Oct. 12, and includes the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before Election Day, Nov. 8.
Early voting hours vary, depending on the date you plan to cast your vote:
- Wednesday, Oct. 12 - Friday, Oct. 14: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 17 - Friday, Oct. 21: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 24 - Friday, Oct. 28: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 29: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 31 - Friday, Nov. 4: 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 5: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 6: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 7: 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
You can find your early voting polling location by clicking on the county you live in on this map. Most are at your county's board of elections office.
Vote by mail
To vote my mail, you must request an absentee ballot or you may complete the application mailed to voters by the Ohio Secretary of State's office in September.
The deadline to submit an application for a vote-by-mail ballot is Saturday, Nov. 5 at 12 p.m., but election officials recommend applying for your absentee ballot well ahead of the deadline. Keep in mind the time it takes to deliver and process your application and for the board of elections to mail your ballot to you by Election Day on Nov. 8.
Absentee ballots were sent starting the first day of early voting on Oct. 12, 2022. You can see a sample of your ballot.
Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 7.
Each county has one ballot drop box located at the county board of elections office where ballots can be returned in person up until polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
Voters must return their absentee ballots to the board of elections in the county in which they are registered.
You can track the status of your absentee ballot. If you believe your ballot may have been lost in the mail, contact your county board of elections. The board can mark an already mailed absentee ballot as void and send a new one.
In-person voting
Polls open in Ohio at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 8.
Your polling location varies depending on where you live, and it might not be the closest station to you. Find your official polling location on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.
You can prepare by viewing a sample of your ballot here.
Do I need an ID?
Yes, but not necessarily a picture ID. To request an absentee ballot or cast your vote in person, Ohio law requires some form of acceptable identification, which include:
- An unexpired Ohio driver’s license or state ID card with present or former address, as long as your present residential address is in the official list of registered voters for that precinct
- A military ID
- A photo ID issued by the United States government or the state of Ohio, that contains your name and current address, and that is not expired
- An original or copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other document with your name and present address ("current" means in the last 12 months).
Check the entire list of acceptable IDs here.
If you do not bring an acceptable form of ID, or if your eligibility is in question because you moved or changed your name but didn't update your registration, you can still vote using a provisional ballot.
Voting provisionally simply means election officials need to double check your eligibility. To do so, you must visit your county's board of elections within one week after Election Day to provide identification so your vote can be counted in the final election totals.
Election officials are also required to attempt to contact voters by mail, phone or email to resolve any issues with their ballots.
Hospitalized voting
If you or your minor child are in the hospital on Election Day, you must submit a properly completed and signed request to the board of elections of the county in which your voting residence is located by 3 p.m. on Election Day.
To be eligible under this provision, you or your minor child must be confined in a hospital because of an accident or unforeseeable medical emergency. If you or your minor child are hospitalized in the same county where you are registered to vote, two representatives of the board of elections can deliver the ballot to you, wait while you mark the ballot and return your voted ballot to the board office.
Additionally, you may include in your absentee ballot application a request that your county board of elections gives your unmarked ballot to a designated relative who shall deliver the ballot to you in the hospital and return your voted ballot to the board office.
Visit the Secretary of State's website to complete a Hospitalized Absentee Ballot Request Form.
Voters with disabilities
Any Ohio voter with a qualifying disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act can request an absentee ballot to complete through the accessible absentee voting system.
For in-person voting, all polling places must have at least one accessible voting machine available for people with disabilities, such as visually impaired voters, according to federal law.
Voters who would rather not use the machine can also bring a friend or family member with them to read the ballot or request assistance from a bipartisan team of poll workers.
What's on my ballot?
Statewide races on the ballot include Ohio governor, Ohio Supreme Court and U.S. Senate. There are two statewide constitutional amendments, and five out of the 11 elected seats on the Ohio Board of Education are in play. Every seat in the Ohio House of Representatives plus half of the Ohio Senate seats are up for a vote. At the county level, the Cuyahoga County Executive position is open plus a number of judicial races.
State Issue 1:
Proposed constitutional amendment to require courts to consider factors like public safety when setting the amount of bail.
Read about the debate over State Issue 1.
State Issue 2:
Proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit local government from allowing non-electors to vote.
Read about the debate over State Issue 2.
Candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor:
- Nan Whaley and Cheryl L. Stephens (Democratic)
- Mike DeWine and Jon Husted (Republican)
Candidates for Attorney General:
- Jeffrey A. Crossman (Democratic)
- Dave Yost (Republican)
Candidates for Auditor:
- Taylor Sappington (Democratic)
- Keith Faber (Republican)
Candidates for Secretary of State:
- Chelsea Clark (Democratic)
- Frank LaRose (Republican)
- Terpsehore Maras (Independent)
Candidates for Treasurer:
- Scott Schertzer (Democratic)
- Robert Sprague (Republican)
Candidates for Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
- Jennifer Brunner (Democratic)
- Sharon L. Kennedy (Republican)
Candidates for Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
- Terri Jamison (Democratic)
- Pat Fischer (Republican)
Candidates for Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
- Marilyn Zayas (Democratic)
- Pat DeWine (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. Senator:
- Tim Ryan (Democratic)
- J.D. Vance (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 1:
- Greg Landsman (Democratic)
- Steve Chabot (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 2:
- Samantha Meadows (Democratic)
- Brad Wenstrup (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 3:
- Joyce Beatty (Democratic)
- Lee Stahley (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 4:
- Tamie Wilson (Democratic)
- Jim Jordan (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 5:
- Craig Swartz (Democratic)
- Bob Latta (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 6:
- Louis Lyras (Democratic)
- Bill Johnson (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 7:
- Matthew Diemer (Democratic)
- Max Miller (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 8:
- Vanessa Enoch (Democratic)
- Warren Davidson (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 9:
- Marcy Kaptur (Democratic)
- J.R. Majewski (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 10:
- David Esrati (Democratic)
- Mike Turner (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 11:
- Shontel Brown (Democratic)
- Eric J. Brewer (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 12:
- Amy Rippel Elton (Democratic)
- Troy Balderson (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 13:
- Emilia Sykes (Democratic)
- Madison Gesiotto Gilbert (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 14:
- Matt Kilboy (Democratic)
- Dave Joyce (Republican)
Candidates for U.S. House District 15:
- Gary Josephson (Democratic)
- Mike Carey (Republican)
Ohio General Assembly:
After the Ohio Supreme Court rejected four sets of legislative district maps as unconstitutional, a federal court ordered the state to implement the third set of invalidated maps for a special primary on Aug. 2 and for the November general election.
Seventeen out of 33 seats in the Ohio Senate are up for election in 2022. Ten of these seats are currently held by Republicans and seven are held by Democrats.
All 99 seats in the Ohio House of Representatives are up for election in 2022. Sixty-four of these seats are held by Republicans and 35 are held by Democrats.
Find your Ohio Senate district, Ohio House district or your state board of education district with this searchable map.
Find out what Ohio House district you live in.
Candidates for Ohio State Board of Education District 2:
- Teresa Fedor (Nonpartisan)
- Sarah McGervey (Nonpartisan)
Candidates for Ohio State Board of Education District 3:
- Charlotte McGuire (Nonpartisan)
Candidates for Ohio State Board of Education District 4:
- Jenny Kilgore (Nonpartisan)
- Katie Hofmann (Nonpartisan)
Candidates for Ohio State Board of Education District 9:
- John Hagan (Nonpartisan)
- Robert Fulton (Nonpartisan)
Candidates for Ohio State Board of Education District 10:
- Tim Miller (Nonpartisan)
- Tom Jackson (Nonpartisan)
- Cierra Lynch Shehorn (Nonpartisan)
Candidates for Cuyahoga County Executive:
- Chris Ronayne (Democratic)
- Lee Weingart (Republican)
Read more about the county executive candidates' views on transit, education, the county jail and arts funding.
Akron charter amendment to establish a citizens' police oversight board and the office of the independent police auditor.
Read more about the citizens police oversight board proposal or ask a question about Issue 10.
To see what's on the ballot where you live, follow the link of the county you live in and enter your address on the local board of elections' website:
- Cuyahoga
- Summit
- Stark
- Ashland
- Ashtabula
- Carroll
- Columbiana
- Coshocton
- Erie
- Geauga
- Harrison
- Holmes
- Huron
- Knox
- Lake
- Lorain
- Mahoning
- Medina
- Portage
- Trumbull
- Tuscarawas
- Wayne
Don't see your county listed? Find it here.
Reporting by WVXU, WOSU and Ideastream Public Media.