Absentee voting begins 35 days before primary and general elections and
- except for voters hospitalized due to emergencies, discussed under
"Absentee Deadlines" below - ends at 2:00 PM the day before the election (Monday).
Once absentee ballots are available for voting, an absentee voter may obtain an absentee ballot at the BOE office to immediately, take it with them to vote at a later date, or receive and return the absentee ballot via U.S. Mail.
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:
Medina County Board of Elections
P.O. Box 506
Medina, Ohio 44258
How do I apply for an absentee
ballot?
Ohio law has separate application processes, described below, for different voters:
"Regular" (other than militia, armed services, overseas or provisional voters).
Your written application for the absentee ballot need not be in any particular form, but it must contain all of the following information:
- Your name
- Your signature
- The address at which you are
registered to vote
- Your date of birth
- 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.
- A statement identifying the election for which absent
voter's ballot is requested,
- A statement that you are a qualified
elector,
- If the request is for a primary election ballot, your political party affiliation; and
- If you want the ballot to be mailed, the address to which you want it mailed.
Active Duty Military and U.S. citizens abroad (UOCAVA voters):
If you are a United States citizen living out of the country, active duty military, and their dependents please go to www.fvap.gov for all of the forms and instructions you will need for absentee voting.
Relatives of Active Duty Military and out-of-country U.S. citizens (UOCAVA voters):
Relatives of Active Duty Military and out-of-country U.S.citizens may request a ballot on your behalf. Your relative must use the application prescribed by the Secretary of State, Form 11-E (Fillout online, print and return to BOE). This form is also available at the Board of Elections office.
Absentee Deadlines
To receive your absentee ballot:
- 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.
- 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 2:00PM the Monday before the election, and request, receive and immediately vote your ballot at the board office.
- 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.
- By fax or Email:
If you are a member of the U.S. armed forces, organized state militia or a UOCAVA voter, you may fax or Email 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 or Email your ballot to you, but you must return your marked ballot by mail.
- UOCAVA voters may vote absentee at the Board of Elections office until the close of polls on election day
- UOCAVA voters using form 11-E or FPCA applications may hand deliver these to the Board of Elections until the close of polls on election day
For your absentee ballot to be counted, it must be received as follows:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
*Postmarked does not include a date marked by a postage evidence system such as a postage meter.
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