CLEVELAND, Ohio – Tuesday is the last day Ohio residents can request an absentee ballot to vote in the 2024 election.

The previous deadline was three days before Election Day. But state lawmakers postponed the deadline as part of last year’s sweeping election changes, which eliminated the requests a week before the election. By the prior deadline, requests submitted too close to Election Day may not be returned by mail in time to be counted.

Applications must be submitted by Tuesday 8:30 PM.

Ohio does not offer an online tool to request absentee ballots. Requests can be submitted by mail, but if they have not already been mailed, they are unlikely to reach the Board of Elections before the deadline. Voters can submit an absentee ballot request directly to their county elections board.

Once you receive your ballot in the mail, you must return it to the Board of Elections in the envelope provided or in person. Ballots can be sent by mail, or county elections boards have a drop box outside their offices where voters can submit them.

Mail-in absentee ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 4 or returned in person to county election boards by the time the polls close on Election Day. To be counted, mail-in ballots must arrive at the county board of elections within four days of the election.

Election officials have been warning voters for years to handle their absentee ballot requests carefully. Voters often enter the current date on which they should note their birthday, for example, which causes the request to be rejected.

More than 1.1 million ballots have been requested in Ohio so far, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office. More than 740,000 people returned Monday morning. Another 940,000 Ohioans voted in person.

Election 2024: An Ohio guide to the November elections

If you want to vote in the 2024 elections, you must first make sure you are registered. The registration deadline for the 2024 elections has passed, so if you’re not yet registered to vote, you won’t be able to cast a ballot this year.

To find out if you are registered, you can enter your name into a state database: https://voterlookup.ohiosos.gov/.

In addition to absentee voting, Ohioans can also vote early in person or on Election Day, November 5. During the early voting period, anyone wishing to cast an in-person vote must do so at the board of elections in the county where they are registered.

To find your county board of elections, visit the Ohio Secretary of State office website, where you will find a map and list of counties in Ohio.

An Ohio Supreme Court ruling earlier this month confirmed that ballot drop boxes at Ohio’s 88 county election boards can only be used this year by people who have submitted their own absentee ballots.

Anyone dropping off a ballot for someone else must sign a form, usually within the board of elections. In Cuyahoga County, employees will be at the mailboxes to process the forms.

Ohio requires in-person voters to have some form of photo ID in order to vote. That includes an Ohio driver’s license, an Ohio ID card, a U.S. passport or passport card, a U.S. military ID, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID, or an Ohio National Guard ID.

Changes to Ohio’s 2023 voter ID law have increasingly tripped up voters, with thousands of voters turning away because they can’t show acceptable ID.

If voters do not have one of the above means of identification, they can cast a provisional vote. However, in order for this ballot to be counted, voters must return to the Board of Elections no later than four days after Election Day to present a qualifying ID.

In-person early voting is available through November 3, but hours will change on weekends and as we get closer to Election Day. There will be no in-person early voting the Monday before Election Day. The remaining hours for in-person early voting are:

October 28: 7:30 AM – 7:30 PM

October 29: 7:30 AM – 8:30 PM

October 30 – November 1: 7:30 AM – 7:30 PM

November 2: 8am – 4pm

November 3: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

On election day, polling stations are open from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM. If you get in line to vote before 7:30 PM, you can still cast your vote as long as you stay in line.