Politics

Your guide to voting in Ohio's November 2023 election

91.7 WVXU | By Becca Costello

Published September 22, 2023 at 4:15 PM EDT

A low angle view of a long line of people waiting to vote in the elections. — A low angle view of a long line of people waitng to vote in the elections.

The ballot for Ohio's general election Nov. 7 is packed with controversial issues, especially for Cincinnati voters.

Across the state, Ohioans will consider a constitutional amendment to guarantee the right to make reproductive decisions, including abortion, and will consider legalizing recreational marijuana.

Hamilton County voters will decide whether to raise property taxes for the public library system. Butler, Clermont and Warren counties have many issues and municipal races on their ballots, too.

And in Cincinnati, two ballot measures are sparking a lot of discussion weeks before the election: one asking voters to approve a proposed sale of the city-owned Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern; and one to raise the income tax and use the revenue to build affordable housing.

Here's what you need to know about casting your vote

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How and when to register to vote

The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 7 election is Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 11:59 p.m. The deadline is the same if you are already registered to vote in Ohio but have moved to a new address.

You can check to see if you are registered to vote by searching on the Ohio Secretary of State's website.

If you are not registered, you can sign up here through the Ohio Secretary of State's website.

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How do I vote early in person?

Early voting starts Wednesday, Oct. 11 and ends Sunday, Nov. 5, in each county's board of elections office:

Butler: 1802 Princeton Rd Ste 600, Hamilton OH 45011
Clermont: 76 S Riverside Dr Batavia OH 45103
Hamilton: 4700 Smith Road, Cincinnati OH 45212
Warren: 520 Justice Dr Lebanon OH 45036

Click here to find each Ohio county's BOE office.

Early voting times are established by the Ohio Secretary of State:

Oct. 11 to Oct. 27: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 23: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 31: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Nov. 1, 2, and 3: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 4: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 5: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

You need to show an unexpired photo ID to vote in person. Learn more: What ID do I need to vote?

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How do I vote in-person on Election Day?

Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Check for your polling location on the Secretary of State's website.

You need to show an unexpired photo ID to vote in person. Learn more: What ID do I need to vote?

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What ID do I need to vote?

State lawmakers passed House Bill 458 in 2022, changing the requirements for identification in order to vote. This will be the first regular general election since the new rules took effect.

Voters now have to use an unexpired photo ID to vote; bank statements or utility bills will no longer suffice as proof of identity.

To register to vote online, you need to provide your Ohio Driver's license or ID number AND the last four digits of your social security number. To register to vote with a paper application, you need to provide only one of those.

To vote in person early or on Election Day, you must show ONE of the following:

Ohio Driver's license or state ID card or interim ID issued by the BMV
U.S. passport or passport card
U.S. military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID card, or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card

To vote by mail, you must provide ONE of the following:

Last four digits of your social security number
Ohio driver's license or state ID number
Copy of U.S. passport or passport card or copy of U.S. military ID card, or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card

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How do I vote absentee?

The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 8:30 p.m.

You can request an absentee ballot by filling out a form provided by the Ohio Secretary of State or your county board of elections.

Drop boxes for absentee ballots are limited to one location per county and may only be used during business hours during early voting.

If you are mailing your ballot, it must be received by boards of elections no later than four days after the election, instead of the previous 10 days.

Those voting absentee don't have to provide photo ID, but must provide the last four digits of their social security number when submitting their ballots. Members of certain religious communities can also provide that information in lieu of a driver's license if they sign an affidavit stating their religious beliefs prohibit them from appearing in photographs.

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What's on the ballot statewide?

All Ohio voters will see two measures on their ballot.

Issue 1 would amend the state constitution to include the right to make one's own reproductive decisions. You can read the full amendment on the Secretary of State's website.

It specifically includes abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one's own pregnancy, and miscarriage care. Abortion could still be prohibited after fetal viability, except to protect the life or health of the pregnant person.

What you'll see on the ballot:

The proposed amendment would:

Establish in the Constitution of the State of Ohio an individual right to one's own reproductive medical treatment, including but not limited to abortion;
Create legal protections for any person or entity that assists a person with receiving reproductive medical treatment, including but not limited to abortion;
Prohibit the State from directly or indirectly burdening, penalizing, or prohibiting abortion before an unborn child is determined to be viable, unless the State demonstrates that it is using the least restrictive means;
Grant a pregnant woman's treating physician the authority to determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether an unborn child is viable;
Only allow the State to prohibit an abortion after an unborn child is determined by a pregnant woman's treating physician to be viable and only if the physician does not consider the abortion necessary to protect the pregnant woman's life or health; and
Always allow an unborn child to be aborted at any stage of pregnancy, regardless of viability if, in the treating physician's determination, the abortion is necessary to protect the pregnant woman's life or health.
If passed, the amendment will become effective 30 days after the election.

Issue 2 would legalize recreational marijuana. You can read the full ballot language on the Secretary of State's website.

Ohioans over age 21 could possess 2.5 oz. of pot and grow plants at home. The measure would impose a 10% tax. Revenue would go to addiction treatment, administrative costs and social justice programs.

What you'll see on the ballot:

To enact Chapter 3780 of the Ohio Revised Code, which would:

Define adult use cannabis to mean marijuana as defined in Section 3719.01 of the Revised Code and establish the Division of Cannabis Control (the "Division") within the Department of Commerce;
Authorize the Division to regulate, investigate, and penalize adult use cannabis operators, adult use testing laboratories, and individuals required to be licensed;
Legalize and regulate the cultivation, processing, sale, purchase, possession, home grow, and use of cannabis by adults at least twenty-one years of age; - Create additional protections for individuals who engage in permitted adult use cannabis conduct;
Establish the cannabis social equity and jobs program and require the Department of Development to certify program applicants based on social and economic disadvantage;
Define "social disadvantage" to include membership in a racial or ethnic minority group, disability status, gender, or long-term residence in an area of high unemployment;
Shield certain confidential information from disclosure to the public, including but not limited to any information reported to or collected by the Division that identifies or would tend to identify any adult use cannabis consumer and prohibit the Department of Development from releasing certain application information as public records;
Require the Division to provide preferential treatment to applicants who have qualified for the cannabis social equity and jobs program based on social disadvantage when issuing level III adult use cannabis cultivator licenses and dispensary licenses;
Prohibit certain local government entities from limiting specific research, levying a tax, or charge on adult use operations, their owner, or their property not generally charged on other business, and prohibit certain local government entities from prohibiting or limiting adult use cannabis home grow or prohibiting or restricting an activity authorized by the proposed law;
Authorize a landlord or an employer to prohibit the adult use of cannabis in certain circumstances, and prohibit the operation of a motor vehicle while using or under the influence of adult use cannabis and from using any other combustible adult use cannabis while a passenger in a motor vehicle;
Limit criminal liability for certain financial institutions that provide financial services to any lawful adult use cannabis operator or testing laboratory licensed under the proposed law;
Require the Division to enter into an agreement with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to create a program for cannabis addiction services;
Provide for the creation of five funds in the state treasury: the adult use tax fund; the cannabis social equity and jobs fund; the host community cannabis fund; the substance abuse and addiction fund; and the division of cannabis control and tax commissioner fund; and
Provide for taxation of 10 percent on the sale of adult use cannabis by dispensaries in addition to usual sales taxes and require that all monies collected from the 10 percent tax levied to be deposited into the adult use tax fund and quarterly distributed as follows: 36 percent to the cannabis social equity and jobs fund; 36 percent to the host community cannabis facilities fund; 25 percent to the substance abuse and addiction fund; and three percent to the division of cannabis control and tax commission fund.
If passed, the law will become effective 30 days after the election

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What's on my local ballot?

You can see a digital version of your ballot on the Ohio Secretary of State's website by searching your address here.

Butler County has a list of issues on its ballot.

Clermont County has a list of issues on its ballot as well as candidate races for various municipalities and districts.

Warren County also has a list of issues on the ballot, as well as candidate races for various mayoralships and council seats.

Hamilton County

Issue 20: The Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library is requesting a 10-year renewal with an increase. It would increase the rate to 1.5 mills, up from the current rate of 1 mill.

The change is estimated to cost an extra $18 a year per $100,000 of home value, for a total $43 a year per $100,000 of value. It's one of two active levies for the library, so property owners also pay on a 1 mill levy passed by voters in 2018 (about $31 a year per $100,000 of value).

Increasing the levy to 1.5 mills would bring in an estimated $30.9 million a year, about $11.2 million more than the current rate.

LEARN MORE: Issue 20 asks voters whether to boost levy for Hamilton Co.'s public library system

What you'll see on the ballot:

A renewal of one (1) mill and an increase of one half mills constituting a tax for the benefit of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library for the purpose of PROVIDING FUNDS FOR OPERATING EXPENSES AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, that the county auditor estimates will collect $30,878,000 annually, at a rate not exceeding one and one half mills for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to $43.00 for each $100,000 of the county auditor's appraised value, for (10) years commencing in January of 2024.

Issue 19: the property tax levy for the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens is up for a five-year renewal without an increase.

If passed, the levy will be renewed at the existing 0.46 mills, which equals $9 a year per $100,000 of value.

LEARN MORE: Voters will decide on levy renewal — without an increase — for Cincinnati Zoo

What you'll see on the ballot:

A renewal of a tax for the benefit of Hamilton County, Ohio, for the purpose of providing and maintaining zoological park services and facilities that the county auditor estimates will collect $7,542,000 annually, at a rate not exceeding forty-six hundredths (0.46) mill for each $1.00 of taxable value, which amounts to $9.00 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value, for five (5) years, commencing in 2023, first due in calendar year 2024.

Cincinnati

City Council: Only 10 candidates — just one a non-incumbent — will be on the ballot for nine Cincinnati City Council seats this November, the fewest number for that race in at least three decades.

Analysis: Why Cincinnati has only 10 council candidates this year, a record low

The race is officially non-partisan, but the Democratic Party has endorsed eight incumbents, plus another candidate they hope will replace the only Republican currently on council.

This will be the first time appointed Council Member Seth Walsh is on the ballot. He took office late last year to fill the seat left vacant by now-Congressman Greg Landsman.

Candidates (in alphabetical order by last name):

Anna Albi (endorsed Democrat)
Jeff Cramerding (first elected in 2021, endorsed Democrat)
Reggie Harris (first elected in 2021, endorsed Democrat)
Mark Jeffreys (first elected in 2021, endorsed Democrat)
Scotty Johnson (first elected in 2021, endorsed Democrat)
Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney (first appointed in 2020, elected in 2021, endorsed Democrat)
Liz Keating (first appointed in 2020, elected in 2021, endorsed Republican)
Meeka Owens (first elected in 2021, endorsed Democrat)
Victoria Parks (first elected in 2021, endorsed Democrat)
Seth Walsh (first appointed in 2022, endorsed Democrat)

Issue 22: a proposal to sell the city-owned Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern.

Cincinnati built the railroad in the late 1800s. A subsidiary of Norfolk Southern has been leasing it for well over a century. Currently the city gets about $26 million a year from the lease.

The Board of Trustees that oversees the railroad for the city negotiated an agreement where Norfolk Southern would buy the railroad for $1.6 billion.

The board would put the money into an investment trust fund. The estimated annual return on that investment would be more than double the current annual lease payment.

The sale cannot go forward unless a majority of Cincinnati voters approve it.

LEARN MORE: 34 questions (and counting) about the Cincinnati Southern Railway sale, answered

What you'll see on the ballot:

Shall the Cincinnati Southern Railway Board of Trustees be authorized to sell the Cincinnati Southern Railway to an entity, the ultimate parent company of which is Norfolk Southern Corporation, for a purchase price of $1,600,000,000, to be paid in a single installment during the year 2024, with the moneys received to be deposited into a trust fund operated by the Cincinnati Southern Railway Board of Trustees, with the City of Cincinnati as the sole beneficiary, the moneys to be annually disbursed to the municipal corporation in an amount no less than $26,500,000 per year, for the purpose of the rehabilitation, modernization, or replacement of existing streets, bridges, municipal buildings, parks and green spaces, site improvements, recreation facilities, improvements for parking purposes, and any other public facilities owned by the City of Cincinnati, and to pay for the costs of administering the trust fund?

Issue 23: an amendment to the city charter dealing with several issues related to charter amendments and candidates for city office.

Council Member Liz Keating introduced this charter amendment establishing new rules for citizens who want to put their own amendment on the city ballot.

"This is a cleanup ordinance," Keating said. "These are updating a lot of outstanding items in our charter [and] ambiguous language since state law has changed and our charter hasn't been updated. It also works to create more transparency and more efficiency for our law department regarding citizen-led ballot initiatives."

If passed, a copy of any initiative, referendum, or charter amendment petition must be filed with the Clerk of Council before any signatures can be collected. Keating says this mirrors Ohio law for statewide ballot measures.

LEARN MORE: Explaining Cincinnati's Issue 23, the 'least controversial issue on the ballot'

The amendment would also limit citizen-led ballot measures to one proposal, "which shall not address multiple or unrelated subject matters or questions of law."

And the amendment would also add a "cure period" for ballot measures and candidates for mayor and council. If petitions are submitted without the required number of valid signatures, the candidate or ballot measure petitioner could collect more to add to the total, as long as they're submitted by the deadline. Currently, you have to start over from scratch.

Unrelated to charter amendments, the measure would give council permission to vote electronically instead of only by voice vote.

"This does not mean that we would automatically start electronic voting, this just means it would be clarified in our charter to allow it," Keating said. "[We would have] another discussion on the system, how that would work, and if we want to spend money on that."

Other "cleanup" items include:

Clarifying throughout the charter that council terms are two years
Clarifying that candidate petition circulators must sign a statement rather than provide a notarized affidavit on candidate petitions
Extending the deadline for filing candidate petitions in the case of a special election to fill the unexpired term of the mayor (from 50 days prior to any primary election, extended to 60 days)

What you'll see on the ballot:
Shall the charter of the City of Cincinnati be amended to clarify the process for citizens to initiate charter amendments, ordinances, and referenda by providing a process and timeline for submitting petitions for initiatives, referenda, and Charter amendments to the Clerk of Council to allow a reasonable time for verification of signatures and drafting necessary ordinances and an opportunity for citizens to collect additional signatures on petitions; requiring petition circulators to submit a certified copy of any initiative, referendum, or Charter amendment petition to the Clerk of Council before collecting signatures on the petitions; permitting City Council to cast their votes by any method that publicly announces their vote, including voice, electronic, or other mechanical method; clarifying throughout the Charter that Council terms are two years; clarifying that candidate petition circulators must sign a statement rather than provide a notarized affidavit on candidate petitions; aligning the timeline for filing a nominating petition for an election to an unexpired term of Office of Mayor with state and federal requirements; and providing an opportunity for candidates for Council and Mayor to collect additional signatures on their petitions by amending existing Sections 3 and 5 of Article II, "Legislative Power," and existing sections 1, 2, and 4 of Article IX, "Nominations and Elections," and by enacting new Section 8 of Article II, "Legislative Power"?

Issue 24: an amendment to the city charter to raise the city income tax and dedicate the new revenue to affordable housing.

The plan actually requires two public votes: one in November to establish the parameters of a new affordable housing fund, and to obligate City Council to put another charter amendment on the November 2024 ballot to actually raise the income tax by 0.3%.

Even if the issue passes this year, it would not go into effect unless voters approve the tax increase next year as well.

LEARN MORE: Issue 24 asks voters to change Cincinnati's charter to fund affordable housing

What you'll see on the ballot:

Shall the Charter of the City of Cincinnati be amended to require the City of Cincinnati to raise income and withholding taxes by three-tenths of one percent (0.3%), if subsequently approved by the electorate, annually beginning January 1, 2025, which new taxes shall be deposited into a non-lapsing special revenue fund restricted only to finance housing affordable to households with income up to 80 percent of the area median income as established by federal law with 65 percent of the fund restricted to support housing affordable only to households with incomes up to 30 percent of the area median income; which new taxes shall fund such housing throughout the City of Cincinnati through grants, subsidies, and loans, including to third party housing developers, which may be of low or no interest, and/or forgivable; which new taxes can be spent to increase, preserve, maintain, repair, improve, and pay off indebtedness related to privately owned homes and rental properties owned or rented by people with incomes up to 80 percent of the area median income as established by federal law; which new taxes can be spent to provide down payment assistance, mortgages, loans, financial counseling, and construction loans to people with incomes up to 80 percent of the area median income; and which up to five percent of annual revenues collected from the new tax may be used to support city staff and operations established for the purposes of administering the funds; and which imposes long-term restrictive covenants on property that receives funds from these taxes to maintain affordability and provide first right of refusal to purchase rental property funded through these taxes to tenants and the City, and shall be administered in consultation with an 11 member board of private citizens?

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