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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020 How to vote in the 2020 election in Ohio: A step-by-step guide

Jessie Balmert Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK

COLUMBUS - So you want to pick the next president of the United States of America?

Or you want to pick the next state lawmaker, county prosecutor or sheriff? The general election is Nov. 3, but there are a few steps you must take before that date to ensure your vote counts.

Register to vote

The first step is registering to vote. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 5. County boards of elections will be open until 9 p.m. that day to accept registrations.

More than 7.8 million Ohioans are registered to vote already.

You can check to see if you are registered to vote at voterlookup.ohiosos.gov . Make sure you use your legal name. For example, search for Jessica Balmert instead of Jessie.

If you aren’t registered to vote, if you have changed your name or if you are registered under an old address, you can register online at voteohio.gov. To register online, you need an Ohio driver’s license or Ohio identification card number.

If you don’t have either number, don’t worry. You can still register to vote, but you will need to fill out a paper formand send it to your county board of elections.

Who can vote in Ohio?

Here are the criteria for voting in Ohio: h You are a citizen of the United States. h You will be at least 18 years old on or before the day of the general election. h You will be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days immediately before the election. h You are not incarcerated (in jail or in prison) for a felony conviction. h You have not been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court. h You have not been permanently disenfranchised for violations of election laws.

What happens if you don’t register to vote by Oct. 5?

If you are not registered to vote, your vote will not count.

If you are registered under a different address, you will be asked to cast a provisional ballot. A provisional ballot is one that doesn’t count until election officials complete some additional verification.

Request an absentee ballot

So you’ve registered to vote, what’s next? There are two ways to vote in Ohio: in person or via the mail. In-perCincinnati Enquirer

The Democratic Party abandoned Jim Neil in the primary. Now the outgoing Hamilton County sheriff is turning his back on the Democrats.

Neil on Aug. 24 officially endorsed Republican and fellow West Sider Bruce Hoffbauer in the sheriff’s race, potentially boosting the former Cincinnati police lieutenant’s campaign ahead of what’s expected to be a tough election for the Hamilton County GOP.

Hoffbauer faces progressive Democrat Charmaine McGuffey, who defeated her former boss in the April primary after receiving the Democratic endorsement.

“It’s not often you see a Democrat endorse a Republican, but this is one of those rare moments when people from both political parties should come together to support the clearly superior candidate,” Neil said. “That person is Bruce Hoffbauer. I ask all Democrats, my West Side friends and my East Side friends, to join me in supporting Bruce with your vote on November 3rd.”

Neil had lost his party’s endorsement, partly because he attended a Trump rally in 2016. Neil apologized a

Absentee voting manager Matt Kelly holds the envelopes that will be used to mail ballots to voters at the Franklin County Board of Elections office in Columbus.. ADAM CAIRNS/DISPATCH

son voting can be done early (as soon as Oct. 6) or on Election Day: Nov. 3.

Anyone who votes early in Ohio –whether via the mail or in-person –casts an absentee ballot. The term “absentee” simply means you will be “absent” from your polling location on Election Day.

If you want to vote via the mail, you must request an absentee ballot. You cannot do this online. You must fill out a paper application.

How do you get that form? There are several options: h You can fill out an application for an absentee ballot online, print it out and send it to your county board of elections. En español: solicitud de papeleta de voto en ausencia. h Around Labor Day, the Ohio secretary of state’s office – which oversees elections in the state – will send all registered voters an application in the mail. You can fill that out and send it to your county board of elections. h You can call your county board of elections and they will send you an application to fill out and return. h Some get-out-the-vote groups will send applications in the mail. Some even fill out basic information, such as your name and address. As long as the form matches the state’s application, you can use it. Again, you must return the completed form to the county board of elections.

When can I request an absentee ballot?

Now. There’s no need to wait.

Your application must arrive at the county board of election by noon on Oct. 31to receive an early ballot.

But you shouldn’t wait until the last minute. More people will likely vote via the mail this year because of the novel coronavirus, so it’s best to send that application in early.

Do I need to pay for postage?

Yes. That could change but currently, you must pay for that stamp.

Where do I mail my application?

Sheriff Jim Neil speaks with The Enquirer's Editorial Board about his campaign on Jan. 27. PHIL DIDION day after attending the rally, but the party’s left wing wasn’t willing to forgive him. McGuffey, a former major in the sheriff’s department under Neil, crushed her former boss by nearly 40 points in the primary.

Neil’s support for Hoffbauer had been expected since the two-term sheriff lost his primary.

“This comes as no surprise,” said Mary Carol Melton, McGuffey’s campaign manager. “Jim Neil lost to Charmaine McGuffey by (40) points in the primary.

h Hamilton County Board of Elections 4700 Smith Road

Cincinnati, OH 45212 h Butler County Board of Elections 1802 Princeton Road, Suite 600

Hamilton, OH 45011 h Clermont County Board of Elections 76 S. Riverside Drive

Batavia, OH 45103 h Warren County Board of Elections 520 Justice Drive

Lebanon, OH 45036

Not from Southwest Ohio? You can look up your county board of elections here.

Cast your absentee ballot

When will I receive my absentee ballot?

Local boards of elections will mail out absentee ballots to those who have requested one starting Oct. 6.

I filled out my absentee ballot. When is the deadline to mail it in?

Your absentee ballot – the form you fill out with your pick for candidates –must be postmarked to your county board of elections by Nov. 2. Any ballot received after Nov. 13 will not be counted, even if it was postmarked by Nov. 2.

Again, it’s best not to wait until the last minute.

I don’t want to mail in my absentee ballot. Do I have another option?

You can drop off your absentee ballot at your county board of elections through 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3 – either in person or using the dropbox. You cannot drop off your absentee ballot at your polling location.

If you requested an absentee ballot and choose to vote in person on Election Day instead, you will fill out a provisional ballot. A provisional ballot is one that doesn’t count until election officials complete some additional verification. In this case, they would check to make sure you didn’t cast two ballots: the absentee and the provisional.

Can I track the status of my absentee ballot?

Each board of elections offers ways to track your absentee ballot. Check the sites below: h Hamilton County: https://vote hamiltoncountyohio.gov/votingoptions/mail h Butler County: https://elections. bcohio.gov/how_do_i_vote_by_mail/ track_your_ballot.php h Clermont County: https://cler mont.oh-vote.org/VoterView/AbsenteeBallotSearch.do h Warren County: https://lookup. He was stripped of his Democratic Party endorsement. He spends his free time at Trump rallies. Voters in Hamilton County have made it very clear they don’t trust Jim Neil to run the Sheriff’s office. In November, they’ll make it clear they don’t trust Bruce Hoffbauer, either. We wish Jim Neil the best in retirement.”

Neil, who will leave office at the end of the year, was popular among voters in the 2012 and 2016 general elections. As a folksy, West Side moderate, he had crossover appeal with voters.

Four years ago, Neil outperformed Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and then-Commissioner Todd Portune. In fact, only Democrat Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Kode Sammarco had more total votes than Neil among all countywide candidates.

Will Neil’s general election popularity translate to helping Hoffbauer?

It could depend on how well Hoffbauer gets the word out about Neil’s support in the final two months of the campaign. Hamilton County Republicans face major headwinds with Trump at the top of the ticket. It’s the type of political climate in which an endorsement from a moderate Democrat could help a GOP candidate. boe.ohio.gov/vtrapp/warren/avlookup. aspx h All other counties

If you want to vote in person

There are two ways to vote in person. One is early voting. The other is on Election Day.

What’s the schedule for early voting?

Ohioans can vote at their county board of elections, starting Oct. 6. Here are the hours and dates: h 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 6-Oct. 9; Oct. 12-16 h 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct. 19-23 h 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 24 h 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 25 h 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 26-30 h 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 31 h 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 1 h 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 2

What are the hours for Election Day?

Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3.

Where do I vote?

You can check your polling location onlineor by calling your county board of elections. It’s possible that locations could change because of COVID-19 concerns, so it never hurts to double-check.

Do I need to wear a mask to vote?

Please wear a mask or face covering to vote for the protection of the poll workers. If you do not have a mask, you will be offered one at your polling location. If you refuse to wear a mask, you will be asked to vote curbside.

“No one will be denied their right to vote,” Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said in a statement.

Can I vote curbside?

Curbside voting is an option for those who are physically unable to enter a polling location – either during early voting or on Election Day.

State election officials recommend specific parking and signage that indicates where you can vote. It’s helpful to bring another person who can inform election officials inside that you wish to vote outside.

You will be asked to wear a mask and use hand sanitizer.

What safety precautions can I expect at the polls?

Poll workers are required to wear masks and wash their hands regularly. Voting machines and e-pollbooks will be cleaned.

You can vote curbside if you would

After Democrats spurned Jim Neil, the sheriff endorses Republican

prefer to not enter the building.

But if Democratic voters stick to their sample ballot like they did in the primary, Neil’s endorsement may not matter.

McGuffey’s big margin of victory surprised most local political watchers, given Neil’s previous popularity among voters. The primary result not only showed the power of the Democratic endorsement, but also reflected voters’ disdain for Trump.

The Hoffbauer endorsement is the latest chapter in an ongoing rift between Neil and McGuffey, also a West Side native. Neil and McGuffey came up together in the sheriff’s department. In 2013, Neil promoted McGuffey and put her in charge of the jail.

But McGuffey was demoted in 2017 after several complaints that she had created a hostile work environment for other employees. She refused to work a lower-paying civilian job and was fired.

McGuffey filed a federal lawsuit claiming some in the sheriff’s department didn’t like that she is an openly gay woman. The lawsuit is pending.

Editor’s note: Information included reflects this article’s original publication date – Aug. 24.