Voter registration deadline for May 2 election is today

Since this is a purely local election (no statewide or national votes), some local residents will have multiple issues to vote on May 2, while others will not have an election at all this cycle.

There are dozens of tax levies on ballots across the region, asking residents to approve funding for individual school districts, cities and counties, police and fire departments, and other purposes.

The only contested candidate races in the region are for Dayton City Commission, Troy Mayor and Miamisburg Municipal Court judge.

Brian Sleeth, director of the Warren County Board of Elections, said voters can check their county board of elections website’s “sample ballot” feature to confirm whether they have one, none or multiple things to vote on this cycle.

To register to vote online at olvr.ohiosos.gov, people need to provide their name, date of birth and address, plus the last four digits of their Social Security number as well as their Ohio driver’s license or Ohio identification card number, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Sleeth said those registering in person at a county board of elections office need to provide only one of the two — the last four digits of their SSN or their Ohio driver’s license/state ID. Sleeth said people can also register to vote at libraries and license bureaus, but he warned people to double-check the hours of those offices.

Ohioans can register to vote if they are U.S. citizens at least 18 years of age on Election Day who will have been Ohio residents for at least 30 days by Election Day, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Exceptions are people who are incarcerated for a felony conviction, who have been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court, or people who have been “disenfranchised” for violations of election laws.

One other oddity concerns those nearing their 18th birthday. A person who is 17 years old on May 2 and will turn 18 by Nov. 7, can vote in the May election, only on races where the winning candidates carry over to the November election, Sleeth said. They would not be allowed to vote on a May 2 tax levy or other issue unconnected to the November election.