An important question you might be asking yourself as the 2020 Election approaches is why is voting important?

 Well to answer that very question voting is  important because it gives people just like you a chance to use your voice and be heard, especially this year people want to be heard maybe more than ever. But what do you do if you’re not yet registered to vote? As well as who is eligible to vote?

First thing you need to know about registering to vote is who is eligible to vote not only in the United States but also the state of Ohio is you must be at least 18 years old on or before the day of the next general election day, if you will be 18 on or before the day of the general election, you may vote in the primary election for candidates only, but you cannot vote on issues or party central committees until you are 18.

 Another important thing you need to know before registering to vote is you must be a United States citizen. One thing specific for Ohio is that you need to be a resident in the state for a minimum of thirty days before the election in the state you wish to vote. You can not vote if you have been incarcerated (in jail or in prison) for a felony conviction. Another reason you might not be able to vote is if a court of law finds you incompetent to vote by a probate court.

Registering to vote might be easier than you think, there are multiple ways you can register online and by mail registration as well as most social media websites now have a registration option.

First thing you should know about online voter registration is you will need an Ohio drivers license or a Ohio identification card as well as a social security number to use on the Ohio online  registration system. However if you don’t have an Ohio Issued Identification card you can still register to vote through mail voter registration.

Through the mail voter registration you will receive a form in the mail for this specific form of registration you will need your Ohio issued driver’s license and if you don’t have one you will need to provide the last four digits of your social security number and if you don’t have either of these things you will write “NONE” and the state of Ohio will assign you a number.

 Some other important things to know about registration through mail is Ohio does NOT require that you register with a party to participate in partisan primary elections.

 After you’ve filled everything out you will want to send the completed form to your local election official. To register by mail, the form must be postmarked by Monday, October 5, 2020. 

And one more thing to consider is If you are registering to vote for the first time in your jurisdiction and are mailing this registration application, Federal law requires you to show proof of identification the first time you vote.

 Proof of identification includes: 

A current and valid photo identification 

A current utility bill, 

bank statement, 

government check, 

paycheck 

Or a government document that shows your name and address. 

If you don’t know if you are registered you can look up your voter registration record and verify that your information is correct using Ohio’s voter registration lookup tool. Or most social media right now you can find a register to vote and check your voting status.