Accessible Voting
Voting in Ohio is more accessible than ever. Learn from fellow Ohioans about the options for access.
Video: Disability Voting Rights
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OCALI Voter Guide
September 20, 2024
Military & Oversees Absentee Voting Begins
October 7, 2024
Deadline to Register
October 8, 2024
Absentee Voting by Mail Begins
Early In-Person Voting Begins
November 5, 2024
Election Day
Polls Open 6:30 am - 7:30 pm
What is an election?
An election is when people vote.
We vote to see who will be in charge or what laws will be made.
- Voting is a way to make decisions.
- Voting lets us have a say in what laws are made and what people are in charge.
- Voting is a right.
We vote using a ballot. Sometimes a ballot is a piece of paper. Sometimes a ballot is on a computer screen. The ballot lists people or laws we're voting on.
What are the different types of elections?
Ohio has different types of elections.
- Primary elections happen in May. People vote on things like who should try to be in charge.
- General elections happen in November. People vote on things like who should be Governor or President or what laws should pass.
- Special elections can happen in May, August, or November. In special elections we usually vote on one or two important things.
When is Ohio's next general election?
Ohio's next special election is on November 5, 2024.
What are we voting on?
We are voting on President/Vice President, members of congress, local officials, and Issue 1. Issue 1 is about voting districts.
- Voting districts are the geographical areas in Ohio.
- We use maps to identify districts.
- Each district has elected officials who represent them.
- These maps must be fair and nonpartisan.
What does Issue 1 say?
Some people think politicians should draw district maps. Some people think citizens should draw the district maps.
When you vote on Issue 1 you get to say what you think.
If you vote YES on Issue 1 you you think citizens should draw the district maps.
If you vote NO on Issue 1, you think politicians should draw the district maps.
Politicians (NO on Issue 1)
- I trust elected politicians to draw fair district maps.
- I believe the current system of drawing district maps is working.
- I think an independent group of regular citizens may not be accountable to Ohio voters.
Citizens (YES on Issue 1)
- I trust an independent group of regular citizens to draw fair district maps.
- I believe regular citizens will reduce political influence.
- I think regular citizens will draw maps that reflect peoples' preferences.
What will my ballot look like?
Issue 1
To create an appointed redistricting commission
not elected by or subject to removal by the voters of the state
Proposed Constitutional Amendment
To repeal Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of Article XI,
Repeal sections 1, 2and 3of Article XIX,
And enact Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1 and 12 of Article X of the Constitution of the State of Ohio
A majority yes vote is necessary for the amendment to pass.
The proposed amendment would:
- Repeal constitutional protections against gerrymandering approved by nearly three- quarters of Ohio electors participating ni the statewide elections of 2015 and 2018, and eliminate the longstanding ability of Ohio citizens to hold their representatives accountable for establishing fair state legislative and congressional districts.
- Establish a new taxpayer-funded commission of appointees required to gerrymander the boundaries of state legislative and congressional districts to favor either of the two largest political parties in the state of Ohio, according to a formula based on partisan outcomes as the dominant factor, so that:
- Each district shall contain single-member districts that are geographically contiguous, but state legislative and congressional districts will no longer be required to be compact; and
- Counties, townships and cities throughout Ohio can be split and divided across multiple districts, and preserving communities of interest wil be secondary to the formula that is based on partisan political outcomes.
- Require that a majority of the partisan commission members belong to the state's two largest political parties.
- Prevent a commission member from being removed, except by a vote of their fellow commission members, even for incapacity, willful neglect of duty or gross misconduct.
- Prohibit any citizen from filing a lawsuit challenging a redistricting plan in any court, except fi the lawsuit challenges the proportionality standard applied by the commission, requirements pertaining to an incumbent elected official's residence, or the expiration of certain senators' terms, and then only before the Ohio Supreme Court.
- Create the following process for appointing commission members: Four partisan appointees on the Ohio Ballot Board will choose a panel of 4 partisan retired judges (2 affiliated with the first major political party and 2 affiliated with the second major political party). Provide that the 4 legislative appointees of the Ohio Ballot Board would be responsible for appointing the panel members as follows: the Ballot Board legislative appointees affiliated with the same major political party would select 8 applicants and present those to the Ballot Board legislative appointees affiliated with the other major political party, who would then select 2 persons from the 8 for appointment to the panel, resulting in 4 panel appointees. The panel would then hire a private professional search firm to help them choose 6 of the 15 individuals on the commission. The panel will choose those 6 individuals by initially creating a pool of 90 individuals (30 from the first major political party, 30 from the second major political party, and 30 from neither the first nor second major political parties). The panel of 4 partisan retired judges will create a portal for public comment on the applicants and will conduct and publicly broadcast interviews with each applicant in the pool. The panel will then narrow the pool of 90 individuals down to 45 (15 from the first major political party; 15 from the second major political party; and 15 from neither the first nor second major political parties). Randomly, by draw, the 4 partisan retired judges will then blindly select 6 names out of the pool of 45 to be members of the commission (2 from the first major political party; 2 from the second major political party; and 2 from neither the first nor second major political parties). The 6 randomly drawn individuals will then review the applications of the remaining 39 individuals not randomly drawn and select the final 9 individuals to serve with them on the commission, the majority of which shall be from the first and the second major political parties (3 from the first major political party, 3 from the second major political party, and 3 from neither the first nor second major political parties).
- Require the affirmative votes of 9 of 15 members of the appointed commission to create legislative and congressional districts. If the commission is not able to determine a plan by September 19, 2025, or July 15 of every year ending in one, the following impasse procedure will be used: for any plan at an impasse, each commissioner shall have 3 days to submit no more than one proposed redistricting plan to be subject to a commission vote through a ranked-choice selection process, with the goal of having a majority of the commission members rank one of those plans first. If a majority cannot be obtained, the plan with the highest number of points in the ranked-choice process is eliminated, and the process is repeated until a plan receives a majority of first-place rankings. If the ranked-choice process ends in a tie for the highest point total, the tie shall be broken through a random process.
- Limit the right of Ohio citizens to freely express their opinions to members of the commission or to commission staff regarding the redistricting process or proposed redistricting plans, other than through designated meetings, hearings and an online public portal, and would forbid communication with the commission members and staff outside of those contexts.
- Require the commission to immediately create new legislative and congressional districts in 2025 to replace the most recent districts adopted by the citizens of Ohio through their elected representatives.
- Impose new taxpayer-funded costs on the State of Ohio to pay the commission members, the commission staff and appointed special masters, professionals, and private consultants that the commission is required to hire; and an unlimited amount for legal expenses incurred by the commission in any related litigation.
If approved, the amendment will be effective 30 days after the election.
Where can I learn more about voting and elections?
Voting in Ohio
- Ohio Secretary of State's resources for Voters with Disabilities
- Disability Rights Ohio Voting and New Voter ID Requirements
Other Voting Resources
- Autistic Self Advocacy Network Your Vote Counts: A Self-Advocates Guide to Voting in the US - Easy Read and Plain Language Versions available
- Vote for Access with Imani Barbarin - videos with ASL interpreter, visual descriptions, and closed captions
- Tuesday's with Liz Voting videos from the Association of University Centers on Disability
- REV UP! Register, Educate, Vote, Use Your Power!