· November 5, 2012

Ohio Election 2012 Information

The research staff here at Innovation Ohio put together a great list of links and information for Ohio voters. Thanks to them and to all of the volunteers, poll workers, public servants and voter advocates – from all corners of our American political landscape – who try mightily every November to ensure that above winners and losers our elections remain fair, open and transparent. Let’s go: The first thing to note – there are lots of places to get voter information. The horse’s mouth, so to speak, in Ohio is the Ohio Secretary of State’s office. You’ll note that many of the links below will take you to a page at the Secretary of State’s website. Another thing to know is that there are many voter advocate groups and their affiliated websites out there. Here at IO, we especially trust the League of Women Voters’ Vote411.org and Election Protection. The League of Women Voters is a highly respected non-partisan voter advocacy group that you’ve probably heard about since you were a kid. Election Protection is a partnership among several civil rights, consumer protection, organized labor, public policy and even some state-level League of Women Voters chapters dedicated to ensuring that everyone who has the right to vote gets to vote. Let’s also be clear about how comprehensive this information is with regard to voting in Ohio. It’s not. There are topics like military voting, absentee voting, etc. that are not covered at all here. It’s the night before the election and this info supposes that you are registered to vote and once you know your polling location (see first question below) you are going to be able to get there between the hours of 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Where is your polling location?

• Check via the Ohio Secretary of State’s website
• Enter your address on the homepage of vote411.org

What do you need to vote?

• We’ve already got a blog post with your checklist!
• Grab a PDF of the aforementioned checklist
• Check with the Ohio Secretary of State

I’m one of the roughly 200,000 people (as of the afternoon of Nov. 5) who requested an absentee ballot but did not vote it. If your absentee ballot was not voted (mailed in too!) as of Election Day, you must vote a provisional ballot at your regular polling location. Provisional ballots are not immediately counted. What if I have a problem at my polling location or I notice something wrong?

• You can immediately call or visit your county’s board of elections office, or,
• Call Election Protection in Ohio at 1-866-OUR-VOTE

Either way, do not hesitate to seek assistance. Voting is your right, stand up for it. What if I find myself in the hospital on Election Day?

• The Ohio Secretary of State has information here – although be advised that there are deadlines to be wary of and only you or your minor child being in the hospital due to unforeseen circumstances will allow for you to vote in this circumstance.

Why am I being asked to vote a “Provisional Ballot” – What is a provisional ballot? There are many reasons you may be asked at a polling place to vote provisionally. The Secretary of State maintains this FAQ about provisional ballots. Election Protection also published an Ohio Election Manual which contains information about provisional ballot voting as well as information regarding challenges by poll workers, intimidation at the polls and other hopefully uncommon occurrences.