Monday, Oct. 7, is the last day for people in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky to register to vote in this year’s general election.
Hamilton County has seen increased interest in voting. Board of Elections Deputy Director Alex Linser isn't surprised. “We always see an uptick in registrations before a presidential election. We definitely saw an increase over the summer,” he says. “I think one of the things that we know drives turnout is when there is a hot, contested race. And with the national presidential race looking like a good contest, more and more voters want to have their voices heard.”
It's also the last day to make sure your voter information is up to date. Hamilton County Election Director Sherry Poland says her office can help with that.
“If someone is unsure about their voter registration status, they can always go onto our website or give us a call,” she says. “We obviously have team members on stand-by to answer any voter’s call regarding their registration status, or where they vote or the type of ID that’s required on Election Day.”
Poland says Board employees are getting voters ready for Election Day this Nov. 5.
“We will be mailing out an Election Day notice card to every registered voter in Hamilton County, in the first two weeks of October, informing them of their precinct and their polling locations,” she says. “We try very hard to not change polling locations unless we have to, but we are going to take that extra step knowing that there’s many voters that perhaps haven’t voted since 2020.”
LISTEN: Is election season stressing you out?
When does early voting begin in my state?
Early, in-person voting begins in Ohio and Indiana Tuesday.
Linser says the number of people casting early ballots has gone up every year since 2017. “Are people just changing their behavior or are new people coming out to vote? Vote by mail is pretty much the same as it was in 2016. But we’re seeing that in-person early voting has become really popular and is taking a bigger and bigger share of the overall vote.”
Linser says early voting means shorter lines at polling places on Election Day.
“The more people who get it in and out of the way, that vote is ready to be counted when we close the polls,” he says. “You know, who knows, anything can happen between now and Election Day so if you come in and you vote early you know it’s done and it’s taken care of.”
In Kentucky, excused in-person absentee voting starts Oct. 23. Unexcused in-person absentee ballots can't be cast until Oct. 31.
Am I registered to vote?
In addition to calling your local Board of Elections office, you can also check your status online:
