Voting is important. You know it, I know it.
But if you aren’t going to be here on election day you might just shrug it off. But you don’t have to, because voting absentee is easy. Here’s how you can vote without being in town on election day.
With the recent rise in youth political engagement, many people are expecting the 18-29 age group of voters to grow in this next election.
A large portion of that age group is college students. This means that come election time, many voters are not at home where they are registered to vote, requiring the use of absentee voting or early voting. The instructions for absentee voting are out there, but they aren’t as simple as they could be. So, here is an easy how-to guide on voting absentee in Ohio.
If you haven’t registered to vote yet, do that here. The deadline to register to be eligible to vote in the November 2024 General Election is October 7.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is three days before the election in which you want to vote, but it’s highly encouraged to register as soon as possible.
How To Vote Absentee In Ohio
1. Print this and fill it out
Absentee ballot request form To vote absentee you have to have a ballot mailed to you, this form says “hey guys, send me a ballot”. On the form, you can designate where the ballot will go in a separate box from your voter registration address.
2. Mail it to your county board of elections
Never mailed anything before? Don’t worry, there’s a first time for everything. You can find the address of your county board of elections here. You can buy stamps at the post office, grocery store, or pharmacy. Here’s how you address an envelope. Drop it in a mailbox or take it to the post office.
3. Wait
Your ballot will be mailed to your designated mailing address. You can track your ballot here. If you’ve waited a couple of weeks and it doesn’t show up and you aren’t able to track it, then call your county board of elections and explain the situation.
4. Return your ballot to your county board of elections
Once you fill out your ballot you can either drop it off or mail it to your county board of elections. THIS IS IMPORTANT: Your ballot must be postmarked no later than the day before the election AND received no later than 10 days after the election. If you’re putting regular stamps on the envelope, ask the post office to postmark it for you. That will be proof that you didn’t mail it late. Absentee voting by mail begins on October 8, 2024 here in Ohio. You can see the full voting schedule here.
5. Feel proud
Voting is the core principle that makes the United States a democratic nation so, be proud of your contribution to society.
Originally written by Tess Stuber. Updated with current information by Chelsea Wiley.
