Ohio will hold a special election on August 8 to determine if the threshold for amending the state's constitution should be raised.
If passed, Issue 1 would raise the threshold for passing future constitutional changes from a simple majority, as it's been for more than a century, to 60%.
Related: Ohio voters defeat overwhelmingly Issue 1
Are You Registered To Vote?
According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, you must register or update your voter registration no later than 30 days prior to an election. Here are the upcoming voter registration deadlines:
- The deadline to register to vote in the August 8, 2023 special election is July 10.
*If you register or update your information after the deadline, the change will apply for the next election.*
Polling location info for in-person voting:
Your polling location varies depending on where you live, and it might not even be the closest station to you. Find your official polling location on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website. There, you can also see a sample ballot with the text of Issue 1.
Important dates concerning early voting:
- Early in-person voting for the August 8 special election begins Tuesday, July 11 (this includes the Saturday and Sunday before Election Day).
Early voting days:
- July 11-14: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- July 17-21: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- July 24-28: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- July 31: 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- August 1: 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
- August 2-4: 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- August 5: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- August 6: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Do I Need Voter ID?
Yes. To get an absentee ballot or cast your vote in person, Ohio voters now must show a valid state or federally-issued photo ID to cast a ballot at the polls. This includes:
- Ohio driver's license
- State of Ohio ID card
- Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- U.S. military ID card
- Ohio National Guard ID card
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
All photo IDs must have the following:
- An expiration date that has not passed
- A photograph of the voter
- The voter’s name as it appears in the Poll List or in the Poll Book
An unexpired Ohio driver's license, State ID card or interim documentation with a voter's former address is an acceptable form of ID if the voter's current address is listed in the pollbook.
State-issued photo IDs are available for free at Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicle offices under the most recent voter ID law.
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 that election officials need to double-check your eligibility. To do so, you must visit your county's board of elections within four days after Election Day to provide that 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.
Absentee Voting
- Absentee Voting By Mail: Begins July 11 and ends on Monday, August 7.
- Absentee ballot applications must be received by your county board of elections by 8:30 p.m. on August 1.
- Absentee Ballots may be returned by mail or personally delivered to your county board of elections by August 8. If not returned by mail, absentee ballots must be received by your board of elections by 7:30 p.m. when polls close.
- August 12 is the last day for county boards of elections to receive absentee ballots that have been postmarked on or before August 7.
- Visit the Secretary of State website for information on absentee ballots.
Military and Overseas Absentee Voting
Military & Overseas Absentee Voting began on June 23.
The federal government and the State of Ohio permit the use of the FPCA by uniformed services voters and overseas voters. For your purpose, U.S. citizens who are active or reserve members of a uniformed service, the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the merchant marines, and their eligible spouses and dependents may use this FPCA when their military service causes them to be absent from the Ohio residence where they are qualified to vote.
Click here for more information on how to request a ballot as a member of the armed services or as an Ohioan living abroad.
Hospitalized Voting
If you or your minor child is 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 is 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 website to request 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.
Visit the Secretary of State website to request an Accessible Absentee Ballot.
What am I voting on?
Issue 1:
Ohio Issue 1, the 60% Vote Requirement to Approve Constitutional Amendments Measure is on the ballot in Ohio as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on August 8, 2023.
A "yes" vote supports amending the Ohio Constitution to require a 60% majority from voters to approve a constitutional amendment from a simple majority, as it's been for more than a century.
A "yes" vote would also require initiative petitions proposing a constitutional amendment to be signed by at least 5% of the electors in each of Ohio's 88 counties, rather than in 44 counties, though still require signatures from 10% of the electors that have voted for governor in the previous gubernatorial election; and remove the 10 day period for petitioners to gather additional signatures for a constitutional amendment if they filed an insufficient amount of signatures.
A "no" vote opposes amending the Ohio Constitution regarding constitutional amendments, thus upholding the status quo of requiring a simple majority (50.01%) from voters to approve a constitutional amendment, requiring initiative petitions proposing a constitutional amendment to both be signed by at least 10% of the electors that have voted for governor in the previous gubernatorial election and 5% of the electors in 44 counties, and keeping the 10 day period for petitioners to gather additional signatures for a constitutional amendment if they filed an insufficient amount of signatures.