“Participating in elections is one way citizens can make their voices heard, and it’s also crucial to the health of our communities,” Dayton Daily News Editor Ashley Bethard said. “The Dayton Daily News is committed to serving our community with information on how to participate in the election process, which is why we’re providing request forms for absentee ballots in our printed newspapers.”
Local election boards will mail out primary elections ballots after the April 4 deadline to register to vote in the primary. Early voting starts April 5. Voted ballots can be dropped off in person at your board of elections or mailed.
Elections officials urge voters wanting to vote by mail to submit requests for ballots as soon as possible to allow time for the request to get to the elections board, the ballot to get to the voter and the voted ballot to get back to the elections board.
Absentee ballots returned by U.S. Mail must be postmarked no later than May 2 and received by boards of elections by May 13 to be counted.
The deadline in Ohio law to request an absentee ballot by mail is noon on the Saturday before Election Day. But elections officials warn that waiting that long may make it impossible for ballots to be mailed to voters and returned on time.
Ohio law doesn’t allow voters to request absentee ballots online. But you can download and print out an absentee ballot request form at www.voteohio.gov. You can also call your local elections board to request one be mailed to you. If you have internet access but no printer, you can find directions on making your own request form at www.voteohio.gov.
Early in-person voting at local elections offices starts Tuesday, April 5, and runs through the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before Election Day. Election officials say lines are typically very short or nonexistent the first few weeks of early voting.
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