Protect Your Right to Vote
Federal laws protect the right of people with disabilities to vote. You can vote on Election Day if you are already registered to vote in Ohio and have not voted early. You can make sure that you are registered by checking the Secretary of State's Web site in the Look Up Your Voting Information section, and be sure about your voting location by checking the Secretary of State's Web site in the Find Your Polling Location section or by contacting your county board of elections.
Voting in person
If you are voting in person you can vote a regular ballot if you go to your voting location with the proper identification. Proper identification can include:
- a driver's license, a state identification card, or other valid photo identification, or
- a military identification, a copy of a current utility bill, a bank statement, a government check, a paycheck, or another government document (but you cannot use a notice of election mailed by the board of elections, or a notice of voter registration mailed by the board of elections).
The identification you use should show your current address. If a driver's license or state identification card does not show your current address, it is still valid and you can vote a regular ballot.
Can I vote if someone challenges my right to vote?
Yes. Only official poll workers can question or challenge your right to vote. Poll workers can only question you on limited issues, such as where you live. No one can question or challenge you about things like your disability, age, citizenship, or whether or not you have a guardian.
The Secretary of State provided a Directive telling poll workers they can not challenge a voter on Election Day because state computer records don't match the proper identification voters gave when they registered to vote or provide on Election Day. Problems with mismatched government records (Social Security, Motor Vehicle, Voter Registration) are not a reason to deny people's right to vote. Read the Secretary of State Directive 2008-99, Election Day Voter Challenges Based Upon a Failure to Match Information on the Statewide Voter Registration Database (PDF file).
Call the Ohio Legal Rights Service (OLRS), 1-800-282-9181 or TTY 1-800-858-3542, if you are denied your right to vote.
What to do if a poll worker won't let you vote.
If a poll worker won't let you vote or sign the registered voters book because of a disability, or because of your answer to a question, do not leave without voting. You still have the right to vote by provisional ballot.
What is a provisional ballot?
A provisional ballot is used to record a vote when there is some question about a voter's eligibility. A provisional ballot is counted when the county board of elections is sure that person is eligible to vote.
The only reasons you should cast a provisional ballot instead of a regular ballot are if you don't have the right identification, you are at the wrong voting location, or your name is not in the registered voters book.
Ways to prove you're an eligible voter when challenged.
If you vote a provisional ballot, you must provide proof that you are an eligible voter. You can provide this proof by:
- signing an "Affirmation Form" that you are eligible to vote in Ohio when you vote.
- or you can go to your county board of elections, within ten days of the election, and provide accepted identification, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. You can also sign the Affirmation Form at the board.
Call OLRS if your right to vote is denied.
If you are denied the right to vote, call OLRS at 1-800-282-9181 or TTY 1-800-858-3542.
OLRS is the federally and state designated Protection and Advocacy system for people with disabilities. OLRS was created to protect the rights of Ohioans with disabilities, and that includes protecting the basic right to vote. You can contact OLRS anytime you have a complaint related to your disability. Call OLRS' Intake toll free telephone line, write to OLRS Intake, or complete an on-line form: Need our Help?
Ohio Legal Rights Service
50 West Broad Street, Suite 1400
Columbus, Ohio 43215-5923
Telephone: 800-282-9181 (statewide toll free) or 614-466-7264 (toll call)
TTY: 800-858-3542 (statewide toll free) or 614-728-2553 (toll call)
FAX: 614-644-1888
Web site: http://olrs.ohio.gov
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