Extended early voting hours begin in Ohio special election; absentee ballot applications due Tuesday

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Early voting is underway for Ohio’s August special election. Voters across the state will have more time to cast a ballot at their early voting location starting Monday. The full early voting schedule is listed below. As a reminder, early voting is not available the day before Election Day on August 8.

Issue 1 will ask voters whether it should be harder to change the state constitution.

The GOP-backed proposal to increase the threshold for future amendments from a simple majority to 60% approval is said to be in an effort to thwart a push to enshrine abortion rights in the state in a possible November ballot question. Boards of Elections are working to verify the signatures advocacy groups submitted to get their abortion access proposal on the November ballot. They are also verifying signatures for a separate proposal on legalizing marijuana.

Other brewing constitutional amendments also could be affected, including efforts to legalize recreational marijuana, increase the minimum wage, reform Ohio’s redistricting system and limit vaccine mandates.

The special election for Issue 1 is set for August 8, 2023. Here are important deadlines voters should know ahead of Election Day, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office:

August 1: Applications for absentee ballots to be mailed for August 8 special election must be received by your local county board of elections, which will remain open until 8:30 p.m.
August 8: Special election. Polls will be open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The early voting schedule is as follows, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office:

July 24-28: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
July 31: 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
August 1: 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
August 2-4: 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
August 5: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
August 6: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Ohioans can register to vote online at the link here. Learn more about requesting an absentee ballot at the link here.

There are new voter identification requirements in place this year and some forms of ID voters have used in the past may no longer be accepted, like utility bills or social security cards. Learn more about what is and is not accepted, as well as where to get a free ID, at the link here.

You can view a sample ballot at the link here. The ballot language for Issue 1 is also shown in the document below.

Learn how to sign up to be a poll worker at the link here.

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