Ohio will hold its primary election March 19 to select candidates to be on the general election ballot this fall. The primary may be weeks away, but voters can start casting their ballots as soon as this week.
The deadline to register to vote in the primary is Tuesday. The Hamilton County Board of Elections will be open until 9 p.m. that day to handle paper registration forms. BMV and local library locations will be open during normal hours to receive forms as well, though the elections office is encouraging people to register or update their addresses online for quicker registration.
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Voters looking to get their ballot in early can head to the Board of Elections office in Norwood starting Wednesday for early in-person voting. The Board of Elections office will be open on weekdays but will begin offering early voting on Saturdays beginning March 9.
The last day to vote early in person is Sunday, March 17.
The office will also start sending out mail-in ballots this week to those who have already requested them. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is 8:30 p.m. on March 12. The deadline to return your mail-in ballot depends on how you plan to return it.
- If by mail, it must by postmarked by March 18, 2024, and received by the board of elections no later than March 23, 2024.
- If in person, the board of elections must receive your ballot no later than 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
Primary elections typically see a much smaller turnout compared to general elections and the picture of who will be on the ballot for the office of president this November is becoming more clear. Still, Board of Elections Deputy Director Alex Linser says people will have plenty to vote on this spring.
"There's a lot more on the ballot than just the presidential candidates," he says. "There are U.S. senators and congressmen. There's also lots of county offices on the ballot, and judicial offices, and your statehouse representatives."
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A road closure could affect your trip to the BOE
The Board of Elections also wants to make sure voters in Hamilton County are aware of an upcoming road construction project that may force many to change their route to the elections office.
Starting March 11, less than a week before the last day of early voting, the Norwood Lateral will be completely closed to traffic until June.
Linser says the lateral is how many people in Cincinnati reach the Board of Elections Office, so he's reminding people to plan a different route and leave themselves some extra time to get to the building before it closes for the day.
On Election Day, voters will be able to cast their ballots at their local polling place. The Hamilton County Board of Elections website offers a search tool to help voters find information about their polling location.
