Changes to Voting Laws Starting in 2023

The following are acceptable forms of (ID) to apply for and return an absentee ballot by mail (VBM):

• An Ohio driver license number
• An Ohio state ID card number
• The last four digits of the elector’s social security number (SSN)
• A copy of a photo ID. For a driver license and state ID, this means a copy of both the front and back. For a U.S. passport, a copy means a copy of the ID page of the passport that includes the elector’s name, photo, and other identifying information, including the expiration date.

• For voters who have used a driver license/state ID number, or the last four digits of their SSN, to apply for and return a Vote-by-Mail ballot, nothing has changed.
• Confined or disabled (e.g., nursing home voters) may follow the same ID requirements as a VBM voter.

• The bill eliminates the option to provide the following as a valid form of ID to Vote-by-Mail:
  • Current utility bill, bank statement, government check; paycheck, other government document, and o concealed carry permit.
• The deadline to apply for a Vote-by-Mail ballot has changed to the close of business on the 7th day before Election Day (Tuesday before). The previous deadline was noon on the 3rd day before Election Day (Saturday before).
• All Vote-by-Mail ballots must be returned by the 4th day after the election, instead of the 10th day, to be eligible to be counted. Non-UOCAVA Vote-By-Mail ballots must still be postmarked by the day before Election Day.
• The period to cure any issues with a returned VBM ballot is now the 4th day after the election instead of the 7th day.
• The deadline for UOCAVA voters to return/postmark their ballots is now 7:30p.m. on Election Day.
• Except for UOCAVA voters, individuals must apply for a Vote-by-Mail ballot using a form prescribed by the Secretary of State (we advise using a Vote-by-Mail application from our website, or the SOS website).

Click here to visit the Board of Elections Vote-By-Mail page Click here to view the SOS Vote-By-Mail application form

The acceptable forms of identification (ID) for voting a regular ballot during Early In-Person voting at the BOE:

• An Ohio driver license
• An Ohio state ID card
• An interim identification form issued by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles
• A U.S. passport or passport card
• A U.S. military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID card, or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card (that includes the voter’s name and photograph).

• The acceptable forms of ID for voting Early In-Person are now the exact same as the valid forms of ID required to vote at the polls on Election Day.

• A voter can no longer provide the last four digits of their SSN and vote a regular ballot during Early In-Person voting.
• The bill eliminates the option to provide the following as a valid form of ID to Early In-Person voting:
  • Current utility bill, bank statement, government check; paycheck, other government document, and concealed carry permit.
• The day before Election Day (Monday) has been eliminated as an Early In-Person voting day.
• The six hours from this Monday are reallocated to the Monday through Friday of the preceding week. See our Early In-Person voting page for early voting hours.

Click here to visit the Board of Elections Early In-Person Voting Page

The following are acceptable forms of identification (ID) for casting a valid provisional ballot:

• An Ohio driver license
• An Ohio state ID card
• An interim identification form issued by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles
• A U.S. passport or passport card
• A U.S. military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID Card, or U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs ID card (that includes the voter's name and photograph)

• The reasons a voter must cast a provisional ballot (requested an absentee ballot, change of name/address, etc.) have not changed, just the ID requirements to cast a valid provisional ballot.
  

• A voter can no longer provide the last four digits of their SSN as a valid form of ID when casting a provisional ballot. A voter must show a photo ID to meet the threshold of providing a valid form of ID.
• A provisional voter must provide a valid form of ID, and if the photo ID is an Ohio driver license or state ID, write the number on the provisional envelope as well.
• A provisional voter who does not have, or cannot provide, a photo ID, must appear at the board of elections by the 4th day after Election Day to show a photo ID, or the provisional ballot will be rejected. The previous period was the 7th day after Election Day.
• A voter who does not have a photo ID because of a religious objection can have their provisional ballot counted by signing an affidavit and providing the last four digits of their SSN.

• A person who registers or updates their registration online must continue to provide both an Ohio driver license/state ID number and the last four of their SSN.

• A person who registers to vote or updates their registration using a paper form can no longer provide a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, etc. A person must provide an Ohio driver license or state ID number, or the last four of their SSN. This change applies going forward and does not impact voters already registered.
• A driver license/state ID card that is issued to a person who is not a U.S. citizen will include a notation designating that the licensee or cardholder is a noncitizen.

• Beginning April 7th, 2023, any person 17 and over who applies for and receives a state ID card from the BMV will receive it for free.
• New law deems a state ID card as the primary form of photo ID for a person who does not hold any type of driver license or whose driver license is suspended.
• Visit the Ohio BMV website, Ohio ID Card section (link below), for details on identity documents that are acceptable to provide proof of the following:
• Full legal name
• Date of birth
• Social Security number (if ever assigned)
• Legal presence
• Ohio residency
• To receive a state ID card, you must visit a deputy registrar license agency in Ohio. Below are the agencies located in Cuyahoga County:
• Bedford - 22125 Rockside Road, Bedford, OH 44146 (Click here to see full Bedford location details)
• Brooklyn - 7000 Biddulph Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 (Click here to see full Brooklyn location details)
• Cleveland
• 8039 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44103 (Click here to see full Euclid Ave, Cleveland location details)
• 3345 Edgecliff Terrace, Cleveland, Ohio 44111 (Click here to see full Edgecliff Terrace, Cleveland location details)
• 2765 East 55th Street, Suite 4, Cleveland, Ohio 44104 (Click here to see full East 55th Street, Cleveland location details)
• Cleveland Heights - 2173 South Taylor Road, Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118 (Click here to see full Cleveland Heights location details)
• Independence - 6901 Rockside Road, Suite 17, Independence, Ohio 44131 (Click here to see full Independence location details)
• Mayfield Heights - 1593 Golden Gate Plaza, Mayfield Heights, Ohio 44124 (Click here to see full Mayfield Heights location details)
• North Olmstead - 26642 Brookpark Road Extension, North Olmsted, Ohio 44070 (Click here to see full North Olmstead location details)
• North Royalton - 12771 State Road, North Royalton, Ohio 44133 (Click here to see full North Royalton location details)
• Parma - 12000 Snow Road, Suite 12, Parma, Ohio 44130 (Click here to see full Parma location details)
• Parma Heights - 6339 Olde York Road, Suite 1, Parma Heights, Ohio 44130 (Click here to see full Parma Heights location details)
• Shaker Heights - 16945 Chagrin Boulevard, Shaker Heights, Ohio 44120 (Click here to see full Shaker Heights location details)
• Strongsville - 12218 Pearl Road, Strongsville, Ohio 44136 (Click here to see full Strongsville location details)
  

Click here to view the Ohio BMV website, Ohio ID card section
Click here to view information on securing an Ohio ID (palm card)

• New law specifies a Drop Box can only be located on board property, and only one Drop Box is permitted per county.
• The Drop Box must be monitored by 24-hour video surveillance, and boards must either make the recordings available for public inspection immediately upon request or make each day’s recording available online for free streaming or download within 24 hours after the recording ends.
• New law defines curbside voting as the following:
  
  “A board of elections must permit an elector with a disability who is physically unable to enter a polling place to vote in the elector’s vehicle or at the door of the polling place with the assistance of a bipartisan team of election officials.”
  
  The bill prohibits an elector from being permitted to vote curbside under any other circumstance.