Voter registration deadline looms for May 5 election

You are eligible to vote in Ohio if you are a U.S. citizen, are 18 or older, including if you will be 18 by Election Day, have lived in Ohio for at least 30 days before the election, are not currently in jail or prison for a felony conviction, and have not been found incompetent to vote through a specific finding and order of a probate judge regarding voting. A general finding of incompetency or guardianship does not take away the right to vote. The order must state that a person is not competent to vote. If it does not, the person can vote.

Upcoming voter registration deadlines are April 6 for the May 5 primary and special election, July 6 for the Aug. 4 special election, and Oct. 5 for the Nov. 3 general election.

If you register or update your information after the deadline, the change will apply to the next election.

To register online, you will need your Ohio driver license or Ohio identification card number, name, date of birth, address and the last four digits of your Social Security number.

Register online at olvr.ohiosos.gov/.

You can register through the Office of the Ohio Secretary of State, your county board of elections, public high schools or vocational schools, any deputy registrar of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, public libraries, county treasurers' offices, and offices of designated agencies, including the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Mental Health, the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, or the office of any state-assisted college or university responsible for providing assistance to students with disabilities.

You can also register by mail. Your registration must be postmarked 30 days before the election. You can print a voter registration application from the Ohio Secretary of State website.