Eligibility
You are qualified to register to vote in Ohio if you meet all the following requirements:
- You are a citizen of the United States.
- You will be at least 18 years old on or before the day of the general election.
- You will be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days immediately before the election in which you want to vote.
- You are not incarcerated (in jail or prison) for a felony conviction.
- You have not been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court.
- You have not been permanently disenfranchised for violations of the election laws.
Registration Identification Requirements
On line ten of your voter registration form, you must provide at least one of the following:
- An Ohio driver’s license number or state ID card number;
- The last four digits of the voter’s SSN
On line 10 of the Voter Registration Form, you must provide one of the following; a current valid Ohio driver's license, or the last four digits of your Social Security number.
Your Signature
Your registration cannot be processed without your signature. On line 14, please affix your signature or mark taking care that it does not touch surrounding lines or type so it can be effectively used to verify your identity. If your signature is a mark, include the name and address of the person who witnessed the mark beneath the signature line. If by reason of disability you are unable to physically sign, you may follow specific procedures found in Ohio law (R.C. 3501.382) to appoint an attorney-in-fact who may sign this form on your behalf at your direction and in your presence.
Changing Party Affiliation
Under Ohio law, a voter cannot affiliate with a political party when they register to vote. A registered voter is designated as unaffiliated (Independent) until they select a party ballot (Democrat or Republican) and vote in a partisan primary election. If a voter does not want to affiliate with a political party, the voter may request an issues only ballot if any issues were certified to the ballot in that voter’s precinct. Voters are considered to be a member of a political party if they voted in that party’s primary election within the preceding two calendar years, or if they did not vote in any other party’s primary election within the preceding two calendar years.
Download the Party Affiliation FAQ