Humanist Community of Central Ohio

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Special Election 2023

This was sent to us from another org. We felt it was a good guide to the special election next week so we are posting it here.

Election Day is August 8, 2023

Ohio Voter Guide

Issue 1 will appear on the August 8, 2023, ballot. It will ask voters to change current law so that Amendments to the Ohio Constitution will be required to be approved by voters by a 60% supermajority of voters, rather than simple majority that has been Ohio law for over 100 years.

Early voting continues in every county Monday to Friday through August 4. This weekend, August 5th and 6th, boards will host early voting as well. After that, voters’ only chance to weigh in is at their polling on location August 8.

Changes to Ohio voter ID law

The changes to voter ID laws, mean different identification will be allowed at the polls, and there are limits to the absentee ballot dates.

  • A driver’s license with a different address is still allowed (as long as it’s not expired), voters must be registered with the Ohio Secretary of State at the correct address before voting.

  • A state of Ohio ID card, interim ID form from the BMV, a US passport or passport card, US military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID or ID from the US Department of Veterans Affairs counts as valid photo identification.

According to the Secretary of State, under the changes, voters can no longer use a Social Security card, birth certificate, insurance card, utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document. Even a “registration acknowledgment notice” from the county board of elections is no longer acceptable. The deadline for absentee ballot applications is now Aug. 1 at 8:30 p.m. and must be requested a full week before Election Day. Once voters have their absentee ballots, they must be received by the county board of elections four days after Election Day at the latest. The last day of early voting, which was previously the Monday before Election Day, has been eliminated as well. If on the day of election, a voter files a provisional ballot, the “cure” window to reconcile the voter information has been reduced from seven days to four.