Am I eligible to vote by absentee ballot?

A qualified Ohio voter does not have to state a reason to vote by an absentee ballot, although the ballot must be applied for in writing.  If you are properly registered to vote, you must submit your written request to the board of elections of the county in which your voting residence is located.; Your request must contain certain information (discussed below) and your original signature.  You may, but are not required to, use the application form prescribed by the Ohio Secretary of State (Form 11-A).  Click HERE to print FORM 11-A in PDF, then mail to:

1. Your name
2. Your signature
3. The address at which you are registered to vote
4. Your date of birth
5. One of the following:
   • Your driver's license number, or
   • The last four digits of your social security number, or
   • A copy of your current and valid photo identification or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.
6. A statement identifying the election for which absent voter's ballots are requested, 
7. A statement that you are a qualified elector,
8. If the request is for a primary election ballot, your political party affiliation; and
9. If you want the ballots to be mailed, the address to which you want them mailed. 

Active duty members of the organized militia (the Ohio Air National Guard, Ohio Army National Guard, Ohio Naval Militia and Ohio Military Reserve, collectively).

If you are on active duty with Ohio's organized militia, your written application must contain all the information required of "regular" absentee voters (above) and either the address to which the ballot is to be mailed or the fax number to which it is to be faxed.  Alternatively, an absentee application may be submitted on your behalf by one of the following relatives:  your spouse, father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, grandfather, grandmother, brother or sister of the whole blood or half blood, son, daughter, adopting parent, adopted child, stepparent, stepchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece.  Your relative must use the application prescribed by the Secretary of State (Form 11-C click HERE for form 11-C in PDF) and provided by the board of elections.  This application, which must be signed and sworn to by your relative ("the applicant"), must contain all the following information:

1. Your full name,
2. A statement that you are a qualified elector in the county,
3. The address at which you are registered to vote,
4. Your date of birth,
5. One of the following:
   •  Your driver's license number, or
   •  The last four digits of your social security number, or
   •  A copy of the your current and valid photo identification, or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address. 
6. A statement identifying the election for which the absentee ballot is requested;
7. A statement that you are a member of the organized militia serving on active duty outside your Ohio county of residence;
8. If the request is for a primary election ballot, your political party affiliation;
9. A statement specifying the applicant's relationship to you;
10. The address to which ballot is to be mailed or fax number to which it is to be faxed;
11. The signature and address of the person making the application; and
12. The applicant's notarized statement attesting to the validity of the application. 
    

Absentee Deadlines

To receive your absentee ballot:

1. By mail: Unless you are a member of the U.S. armed forces, you must mail your properly completed absentee ballot application bearing your original signature to the board of elections for the county in which your voting residence is located.  The Medina County Board of Elections mailing address is P.O. Box 506, Medina, Ohio 44258. The board must receive your request by noon on the Saturday before the election.  However, you should submit your request as far in advance of the election as possible.
2. By fax:  If you are a member of the U.S. armed forces or organized state militia, you may fax your absentee ballot request to the board of elections in which your voting residence is located.  The board must receive your request by noon on the Saturday before the election.  You may request that the board fax your ballot to you, but you must return your marked ballot by mail.
3. In person:  You may go to the board of elections office during regular business hours after absentee ballots are available for voting, but no later than the day before the election, and request, receive and immediately vote your ballot at the board office.
4. In hospital on election day:  Regardless of where you are hospitalized, you must submit a properly completed and signed request to the board of elections of the county in which your voting residence is located by 3 p.m. on election day.  To be eligible under this provision, you must be confined in a hospital because of an unforeseeable medical emergency.  Your application must specify where, why and when you came to be hospitalized.  If you are hospitalized in the same county where you are registered to vote, two representatives of the board of elections can deliver the ballot to you and return it to the board office.  You may include in your absentee ballot application a request that your county board of elections give your unmarked ballot to a designated relative - your spouse, father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, grandfather, grandmother, brother, sister, son, daughter, adopted parent, adopted child, stepparent, stepchild, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece - who shall deliver the ballot to you in the hospital and return it to the board office after you have voted it. 

For your absentee ballot to be counted, it must be received as follows:

1. If you return your ballot by mail, it must be postmarked* no later than the day before Election Day and received by your county board of elections no later than 10 days after the election.
2. If you return your ballot in person or if a near relative delivers it to the board for you, it must be delivered to your county board of elections no later than the close of polls on Election Day.
3. If you are a voter outside of the United States on Election Day, the ballot envelope must be signed or postmarked before the close of polls and received by the board no later than 10 days after Election Day or 20 days after a presidential primary election.

Print Application for Absent Voter's Ballot (Form 11-A)

Provided in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.