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HONESTY FOR OHIO EDUCATION
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Ohio Elections


​2025 Ohio Elections

Primary Election: Tuesday, May 6, 2025
General Election: Tuesday, November 4, 2025
register to vote
School Board Elections
Candidate Resources
Important Primary Election Dates
Voter Registration Deadline   

Military & Overseas Voting    

Early In-Person Voting 

​Absentee Mail-In Voting 
​   
 
​Absentee Drop-Off  Voting 
​
​Election Day   
        
April 7, 2025
​
March 21 - May 5

​April 8 - May 4, at local Boards of Elections (BOE)

April 8 - May 5, postmark ballot by November 4

May 6 - November 5, drop off ballot at board of elections by Nov 5, 7:30pm
​
​Tuesday, May 6, 2025 -- Polls Open from 6:30am-7:30pm
Important General Election Dates
Voter Registration Deadline   

Military & Overseas Voting    

Early In-Person Voting 

​Absentee Mail-In Voting 
​   
 
​Absentee Drop-Off  Voting 
​
​Election Day   
        
October 6, 2025
​
September 19 - November 3

​October 7 - November 2, at local Boards of Elections (BOE)

​October 7 - November 3, postmark ballot by November 4

October 7 - November 5, drop off ballot at board of elections by Nov 5, 7:30pm
​
​Tuesday, November 4, 2025 -- Polls Open from 6:30am-7:30pm

​
There are 3 Easy Steps to vote in Ohio



STEP 1:
​​
Register to VOTE
or
Check Voter Registration


​Check your voter registration information every election cycle to ensure your information is current and accurate. Have you moved, changed your name, changed your signature?

IMPORTANT: Have you been PURGED from the Ohio voter rolls?
The Ohio Secretary of State Office routinely purges inactive voters from the Ohio voter rolls. If you did not vote in the last election or have not voted in several elections, check your voter registration NOW to ensure you have not been purged.
​If you have been purged, simply register again.
register to vote
Check voter registration

STEP 2:
​Decide how you will VOTE

Voter ID info
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EARLY IN-PERSON
VOTING


​​WHEN
Begins 4 weeks before Election Day, dates & times vary
•
WHERE
Local Boards of Elections 
•
HOW

Bring required voter ID to your local Board of Elections 
(bring your sample ballot, too!)


​



​

​
Early vote info
Picture
ABSENTEE MAIL-IN
​VOTING


WHEN
Begins 4 weeks before Election Day, request your Ballot  NOW
•
WHERE
Vote by mail from home, school, work, abroad, anywhere
•
HOW
1) Submit an
Absentee Ballot Request Form

2)  Upon receipt, complete and return your Absentee Ballot by the deadline

Ballots must be postmarked at least 1 day before Election Day or dropped off at local Board of Elections by 7:30pm on Election Day

ABsentee ballot info
Picture
ELECTION DAY
​VOTING

​
WHEN
Election Day
Polls Open 6:30am-7:30pm

•
WHERE
Designated polling locations
(check your polling location ahead of Election Day)

•
HOW
​Bring required voter ID to your designated polling location
(bring your sample ballot, too!)







​​
Election Day info

STEP 3:
Research Candidates and Issues

Research Checklist
  • Campaign website and social media accounts 
  • ​Campaign endorsements and affiliations
  • Candidate interviews: Visit Vote411.org to read unedited responses to candidate questions
  • ​​News coverage (TV, radio, newspapers, letters to the editor, blogs, podcasts, candidate profiles, etc.) 
  • Place of employment
  • Resume or curriculum vitae 
  • Lawsuits, litigation, criminal background, registries
  • Personal social media accounts and blogs
  • Personal affiliations (boards, committees, memberships, volunteer work, etc.)​

Attend Voter Education Events
  • Candidate forums, debates, town halls, meet and greets, etc
Helpful Considerations
  • What are their values and priorities? What education issues are most important to them?
  • Are their work, expertise, or experiences value-added?
  • What do their endorsements and affiliations reflect about their beliefs?
Personalized Sample Ballot
Create and print a personalized sample ballot to use when you vote
  • ​Vote411.org
  • Your local Board of Elections website
Resources
  • Vote411.org
  • Ohio Voter Guide​​​
  • Your local Board of Elections website

Candidate Support Resources

Honesty for Ohio Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and, as such, does not endorse or support candidates in any election. The following list includes organizations and consultants who have requested to be featured on this resource page. While some of these resources are affiliated with Honesty’s formal partners, Honesty does not evaluate, approve, or endorse any of the listed programs.

LEAD Ohio
​

LEAD Ohio fills a unique need in Ohio’s progressive infrastructure. We are the only organization that conducts year round recruiting, training, connecting, and supporting of potential candidates and their staff no matter what level of office they may seek in Ohio. We are proud to have graduated more than 450 "LEADers" from our flagship Campaign Academy training program, many of whom have gone on to run for and win election to everything from State Legislature to Township Trustee. We have also provided training and support to thousands more candidates, staffers, and activists through virtual webinars, weekend campaign bootcamps, and programming specially designed for women interested in civic leadership. We are a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan non-profit organization based out of Columbus, Ohio, and our sister organization, LEAD Ohio Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization also runs programming. We do not charge for our training and support programs in an effort to make this space as inclusive as possible. Although our Campaign Academy is full for this year, we are planning to offer the following programs in the coming months:
  • Women LEADing Ohio "Pow-Her to Launch" virtual program for women candidates starting their campaigns for elected office. Sessions will likely be held in late March and April.
  • ​Women's Progressive LEADership Circles support programs for women actively running for office this year. Applications will open in April and program will meet once a month in a hybrid in-person and virtual model from June-November. Cohorts are small, a dozen women or less.
  • LEAD Ohio Campaign Skills Bootcamp, which will be a full day weekend program providing essential skills and tools for building an effective campaign. Bootcamps will likely be held in May and June.
  • ​Additional virtual webinars on topics of interest will be announced as they are built
  • LEAD newsletters include a Candidate Corner with additional information on endorsements and trainings
  • General candidate support available through early summer; August and September “Hot Topics” trainings on school board races
To sign up for our mailing list to get all the information about LEAD Ohio programs, visit us at https://www.leadohio.org/contact and complete the form.
Candidate Support Resource PDF

Helpful Election Information

​Check Voter Registration

​​​Voter ID Requirements


​Find Board of Elections
Early In-Person Voting 

Absentee Ballot Voting

Election Day Voting 

​
ACLU FAQ:
​Ohio Elected Officials

​
VOTE411.ORG
​Get Your "I VOTED" Sticker!
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