Download Absentee Ballot Application

You are entitled to vote by absentee ballot in Ohio without providing a reason.

TO REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT, PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS  TO FILL OUT OR OBTAIN AN ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATION. COMPLETED APPLICATIONS CAN BE MAILED OR DROPPED OFF AT THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS USING THE 24/7 SECURE DROP BOX.

Absentee ballot applications may be obtained by calling the Franklin County Board of Elections at 614-525-3470. 

 * Absentee ballot applications are available online  by clicking “Absentee Ballot Application”

*  Fill all applicable fields in the form, review the information for accuracy, print, sign, and mail or drop-off the completed form.

*NOTE: If you choose not to use the prescribed form, your written application need not be in any particular format, but it must contain all of the following information:

1. Your name;

2. Your legal signature;

3. The address at which you are registered to vote;

4. Your date of birth;

5. One of the following items showing proof of your identification:

• Your Ohio driver's license number (begins with two letters followed by six numbers);
• The last four digits of your Social Security number; or
• A copy of a current and valid photo identification, a military identification, or a current (within the last 12 months) utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document (other than a notice of voter registration mailed by a board of elections) that shows the voter’s name and current address.

6. A statement identifying the election for which you are requesting an absentee ballot;

7. A statement that you are a qualified elector;

8. If the request is for a partisan primary election ballot, your political party affiliation; and

9. If you want the ballot to be mailed to a different address than where you are registered, the address to which you want it mailed.

* Mail the completed form to:

Absentee Department
Franklin County Board of Elections
P.O. Box 182111
Columbus, OH 43218-2111

* Drop-off the completed form to:

Franklin County Board of Elections
1700 Morse Road 
Columbus, OH 43229
 

Voter registration forms, absentee ballot applications and completed ballots may be placed in our secure drop box, located outside the Early Vote Center at 1700 Morse Road. The secure drop box is checked every day by a bipartisan team of Board of Elections employees. The drop box is kept under 24/7 video surveillance.

Not a Franklin County resident? Please visit your local Board of Elections' website for county-specific instructions.

Want to register to vote using a paper form? Download a Voter Registration and Information Update Form.