On January 6, 2023, the Governor signed Ohio House Bill 458 that made several changes to election laws.
Here is a summary of some of the changes
For all of the changes and other important information, please visit the Ohio Voting Law Changes page on the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website.
Identification for voting on election day in person
The following are acceptable forms of identification (ID) for voting a regular ballot at the polls on Election Day:
- An unexpired Ohio driver license
- An Ohio state ID card (these cards are now free to obtain)
- An interim identification form issued by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles
- A U.S. passport or passport card
- A U.S. military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID card, or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card (that includes the voter’s name and photograph)
Notes:
- A suspended driver license that is not expired may still be used as ID for voting.
- An Ohio driver license or state ID card with a voter’s previous address is acceptable.
- Digital (or copy) versions of ID are not acceptable, except for the Veteran ID Card (VIC) issued by the Department of Veteran Affairs, as the VIC is now only issued digitally.
Key Changes:
- A U.S. passport or passport card, which was previously not a valid form of ID, is now acceptable.
- The bill eliminates the option to provide the following as a valid form of ID:
- Current utility bill, bank statement, government check; paycheck, other government document, and concealed carry permit
Voting by mail
The following are acceptable forms of (ID) to apply for and return an absentee ballot by mail (VBM):
- An Ohio driver license number
- An Ohio state ID card number
- The last four digits of the elector’s social security number (SSN)
- A copy of a photo ID. For a driver license and state ID, this means a copy of both the front and back. For a U.S. passport, a copy means a copy of the ID page of the passport that includes the elector’s name, photo, and other identifying information, including the expiration date.
Notes:
- For voters who have used a driver license/state ID number, or the last four digits of their SSN, to apply for and return a Vote-by-Mail ballot, nothing has changed.
- Confined or disabled (e.g., nursing home voters) may follow the same ID requirements as a VBM voter.
Key Changes:
- The bill eliminates the option to provide the following as a valid form of ID to Vote-by-Mail:
- Current utility bill, bank statement, government check; paycheck, other government document, and o concealed carry permit.
- The deadline to apply for a Vote-by-Mail ballot has changed to the close of business on the 7th day before Election Day (Tuesday before). The previous deadline was noon on the 3rd day before Election Day (Saturday before).
- All Vote-by-Mail ballots must be returned by the 4th day after the election, instead of the 10th day, to be eligible to be counted. Non-UOCAVA Vote-By-Mail ballots must still be postmarked by the day before Election Day.
- The period to cure any issues with a returned VBM ballot is now the 4th day after the election instead of the 7th day.
- The deadline for UOCAVA voters to return/postmark their ballots is now 7:30p.m. on Election Day.
- Except for UOCAVA voters, individuals must apply for a Vote-by-Mail ballot using a form prescribed by the Secretary of State (we advise using a Vote-by-Mail application from our website, or the SOS website).
