Voter alert - Know your rights!

Voter Alert
Know Your Rights and
In-person Absentee Voting Changes

Button with the word "Vote" on it
The mission of the Ohio Legal Rights Service (LRS) is to protect and advocate, in partnership with people with disabilities, for their human, civil and legal rights.
Voter Rights and Assistance

With Election Day just a few weeks away, now is the time to review your rights.

LRS' online publication, Voter Rights and Assistance, provides information on issues often experienced by people with disabilities at polling places, such as voter identification requirements, assistance with casting a ballot, challenges by poll workers, polling place accessibility and voter assistance.

Information is also provided on what to do if you believe your right to vote is being violated.
In-person Absentee Voting Changes

The Ohio Secretary of State recently issued an advisory that includes a change with in-person absentee voting. If you return your absentee ballot in person, it must be delivered to your county board of elections no later than 6:00 p.m. on Friday, November 4, 2011.

The deadline did not change for returning your ballot by mail. Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than the day before Election Day and received by your county board of elections no later than 10 days after the election.

If you have not requested an absentee ballot form yet, you must request one from your county board of elections or download one from the Ohio Secretary of State website. This is different from in the past when many counties automatically mailed absentee ballot request forms to its registered voters. Applications by mail for absentee ballots must be received by your county board of elections by noon on November 5.