In case you somehow have not been inundated with a barrage of political advertisements all over your social media feeds and television screens, it’s midterm election season. If you have yet to figure out how you’re going to vote, don’t fret – there’s still time to make a plan to vote in person or by mail-in absentee ballot. Here’s a handy guide to the last-minute steps you can take to have your voice heard in the 2022 elections.

• First things first: Check to make sure you’re registered to vote

While the deadline to register to vote has passed, you may still be registered to vote in your state if you’ve voted in a past election. If you are an Ohio voter, you can look up your registration status on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website here.

If you are from a state or territory outside Ohio, you can look up your status here.

• Early voting is open until Nov. 7

Registered voters can vote early at certain times and locations from now until the day before Election Day, Monday, Nov. 7. There is one early voting location for each Ohio county. In Cuyahoga County, the early voting location is the Board of Elections office on 2925 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland. For a complete list of each county’s early voting location and hours of operation, click here.

• Mail-in/absentee voters: It’s not too late to apply for your ballot

If you are from out of state or do not plan to return home to vote in-person at your usual polling place, you can request to receive an absentee ballot to send in the mail. The deadline to apply to receive a ballot is three days before the election in which you wish to vote. That means the deadline for this year’s midterms is Nov. 5. Once you receive your ballot, your vote will count as long as your ballot is postmarked and put in the mail by Election Day, Nov. 8. You can apply for your absentee ballot application in fewer than two minutes by clicking here.

If you are a resident of Ohio, you can find more information about absentee voting from the office of Ohio Secretary of State here.

Keep in mind that if you do plan to vote by mail, you will need postage. Student voter outreach group Jackets Engaged is offering free stamps for election mail at the Brain Center The postage rate for election mail is $.70, or two regular first class stamps. You can buy stamps at the post office or at most grocery stores or drug stores.

• In-person voters: Find your polling place

If you are an Ohio resident and plan to vote in your place of permanent residence, make sure you know where to go on Election Day. If you are a resident of Cuyahoga County, you can use your address to find your polling place by clicking here. 

If you live in Ohio outside of Cuyahoga County, you can find your polling place here.

If you are from out of state, you can find your state’s locator on Vote.org’s Polling Place Locator here.

If you are voting locally and need a ride to your polling place, Lyft is offering half-price rides on Election Day, per Thrillist. You may also be able to get convenient and inexpensive ride on the Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. You can learn how here.

• In person-voters: Bring identification

A major thing to keep in mind if you’re voting locally is Ohio’s strict voter identification laws. If voters do not present a valid form of photo or non-photo ID, they will have to cast a provisional ballot and appear in person at the Board of Elections to provide prove of identification within 10 days. The identification requirements, per Ohio Revised Code, are as follows:

• Current and valid photo identification, defined as a document that shows the individual’s name and current address, includes a photograph, includes an expiration date that has not passed, and was issued by the U.S. government or the state of Ohio
• Current utility bill
• Current bank statement
• Current government check, paycheck or other government document

For more information on voter identification laws and other things to know on Election Day from USA.gov, click here.

• In-person voters: Here’s what else you should bring to your polling place

Depending on where and when you vote, you may face long lines at your polling place. Bring anything you might need to stand in line for long periods of time, such as:

• Water bottle or snacks
• Portable phone charger
• Medication
• Comfortable shoes

While you’re waiting you could educate yourself about the candidates and fill out a sample ballot, which you can learn more about here.

You can find more personalized voter education materials from the League of Women Voters’ Vote411 initiative here. 

To get involved with voter education on campus, you can visit Jackets Engaged on Instagram @bwjackets.engaged.

See The Exponent’s 2022 Election Guide below to learn more about the candidates and issues that matter locally and state-wide this November.