Policy Corner: Voting With A Record

Voting with a criminal record

There is a lot of misinformation out there. Be sure to know your rights. You are eligible to vote as long as you are not incarcerated in jail or prison for a felony conviction. That means, if you are in a half-way house, on probation or parole, on some sort of correctional control, in jail for a misdemeanor – you can vote by Ohio law. Voting rights are automatically restored upon release from prison. If you have a conviction though, you must re-register to vote.

Check your voter registration status by clicking here.

If you are voting this year in the general election (we sincerely hope you are!), here is what you need to know:

• October 5^th was the last day to register to vote for this election cycle (November)
  • October 6, 2020: Early voting and mail-in voting begins
  • October 31, 2020: Deadline to request absentee ballot
  • November 2, 2020: Early voting and mail-in voting ends
  • November 3, 2020: Election Day

• Registered voters in Ohio need to confirm their identity when they vote in person.
• You need to provide either ID information or a copy of acceptable ID to vote by mail in Ohio.
• Registered voters in Ohio need to confirm their identity when they vote in person. There are several forms of identification you can use.
  • You can use the following IDs: 
    • Unexpired Ohio driver’s license (OK if expired after 3/8/20 until 11/4/20)
    • Unexpired Ohio state ID (OK if expired after 3/8/20 until 11/4/20)
    • Military ID
    • Unexpired photo ID issued by the United States federal government or state of Ohio that shows your name and current address
    • You can also use one of these forms of identification. It must show your name, your current address, and be dated within the last 12 months. You can present the original document or a copy:
      • Utility bill (including cell phone bill)
      • Bank statement
      • Government check
      • Paycheck
      • Other government document issued by federal, state, or local government (other than a notice of voter registration mailed by a board of elections)