Ohio Primary Election set for March 19

TV talk, radio commentary and social media are filled to the brim with reports about primary elections, to the point that Ohio residents could be quite confused. Many people may find that Ohio’s Presidential Primary election is “sneaking up” on them. 

It will take place on March 19, 2024, instead of the traditional May date for other primaries. Citizens have just a few weeks to take the steps needed to be ready to vote. 

• Tuesday, Feb. 20, is the postmark deadline for registering to vote at your present address, if you have recently moved.
• Tuesday, March 12, is the postmark deadline for requesting an absentee ballot. If you are going to be basking in a warmer place in mid-March, you can ask for your ballot to be mailed to your temporary address.

Ohio has an “open” primary.  You can request either the Democratic or Republican ballot, regardless of which party ballot you used in a previous election.

If you have access to the internet, you can print the forms you need at VoteOhio.gov, then mail them to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

You can call your county board of elections to request the forms, too.

Forms are also available for pick-up at public libraries all over Ohio.  Some libraries even have a secure box where you can place your completed forms to be collected by the Board of Elections.

To complete these registration and application forms, you will need 2 pieces of information:

• Birth date
• Ohio driver's license number or Ohio state ID number.

OR

• Last four digits of your Social Security number 

Another key step is to be sure to make your signature as legible as you can. 

To mail your completed forms back to the board of elections, you will need a “Forever” stamp or the equivalent in stamps totaling 68 cents.