Voting by Provisional Ballot (R.C.
3505.181)
Every voter must provide proof of identity at the time of voting.
A person who casts a provisional ballot and does not provide acceptable
proof of identity at the time of voting is allowed to provide such proof
within 10 days after the election, in accordance with law.
What is a provisional ballot?
A provisional ballot is used to record a vote if a voter’s eligibility is
in question and the voter would otherwise not be permitted to vote at his or
her polling place. The content of a provisional ballot is no different from a
regular ballot, but it is cast “provisionally” until election officials
can verify the voter’s eligibility to vote in the particular precinct at
that election.
There are several scenarios in which a voter may cast a provisional ballot.
A provisional ballot may be used on Election Day if a voter’s eligibility is
in question, or before (or on) Election Day if a voter has recently changed
his or her address or name, and did not update his or her voter registration.
What Election Day scenarios would require me to cast a provisional ballot?
Any of the following scenarios would require you to cast a provisional
ballot on Election Day:
 | Your name does not appear on the official poll list for an election, or
an election official asserts that you are not eligible to vote or is
unable to determine your eligibility;
| You are unable or decline to provide the required proof of identity,
which includes a current and valid photo identification, military
identification; or a copy of a current (within the last 12 months) utility
bill (including cell phone bill), bank statement, government check,
paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and current
address (including from a public college or university). (Note:
You cannot use as proof of identification a voter registration
acknowledgement notice that the board of elections mailed to you.);
| Your name appears on the poll list or signature book as having requested
an absentee ballot;
| Your name is marked on the poll list or signature book with a notation
that registration mailings have been returned as undeliverable;
| A hearing on a challenge to your eligibility as an elector has been
postponed until after Election Day;
| Your signature, in the opinion of the precinct officers, does not match
the signature on your registration form; or
| Your eligibility to cast a ballot has been challenged by the precinct
officers. |
| | | | | |
After I cast a provisional ballot, do I have to do anything to make sure
my vote is counted?
Before your provisional ballot can be included in the official count of an
election, the board of elections must confirm your eligibility to cast the
ballot, as well as the validity of the ballot that you cast.
If you cast your provisional ballot and provided acceptable proof of
identity, you typically do not need to provide any additional information to
the board of elections.
If you cast a provisional ballot and did not provide acceptable proof of
identity at the time of voting, you must appear in person at the board of
elections to provide such proof within the 10 days immediately following
Election Day, in accordance with Ohio law. The following guidelines apply:
- If you cast a provisional ballot because you had – but could not
provide to election officials at the time you voted – acceptable proof
of your identity or the last four digits of your Social Security number,
you must provide to the board of elections one of the following:
 | Acceptable proof of your identity in the form of a current and valid
photo identification;
| A military identification;
| A copy of a current (within the last 12 months) utility bill
(including cell phone bill), bank statement, government check,
paycheck, or other government document (but not a voter registration
acknowledgement notification mailed by a board of elections) that
shows your name and current address (including from a public college
or university); or
| The last four digits of your Social Security number. |
| | |
If you cast a provisional ballot because, at the time you voted, you had
– but declined to provide – an acceptable form of identification or
the last four digits of your Social Security number, and you declined to
execute the written affirmation statement swearing to your identity under
penalty of election falsification, you must provide to the board of
elections one of the following:
| Acceptable proof of your identity in the form of a current and valid
photo identification;
| A military identification;
| A copy of a current (within the last 12 months) utility bill
(including cell phone bill), bank statement, government check,
paycheck, or other government document (but not a voter registration
acknowledgement notification mailed by a board of elections) that
shows your name and current address (including from a public college
or university); or
| The last four digits of your Social Security number. |
| | |
If you cast a provisional ballot because, at the time you voted, you did
not have any acceptable form of identification or a Social Security
number, and you declined to execute the written affirmation statement
swearing to your identity under penalty of election falsification, you
must provide to the board of elections one of the following:
| Acceptable proof of your identity in the form of current and valid
photo identification;
| A military identification;
| A copy of a current (within the last 12 months) utility bill
(including cell phone bill), bank statement, government check,
paycheck, or other government document (but not a voter registration
acknowledgement notification mailed by a board of elections) that
shows your name and current address (including from a public college
or university); or
| The last four digits of your Social Security number; or
| A signed affirmation statement (provided by the board of elections)
stating that you do not have any of the above items. |
| | | |
If you cast a provisional ballot because your right to vote was
challenged at the polling place under R.C. 3505.20, and the election
officials either determined that you were ineligible to vote or were
unable to determine your eligibility, you must provide any identification
or other documentation required to resolve the challenge.
If I have recently moved but did not update my voter registration, can I
vote a provisional ballot?
Yes. If you are an Ohio voter who moved from one Ohio precinct to another
Ohio precinct and did not submit your change of address to election officials
by the 29th day before the election, you still may vote in that election by
taking the following steps:
- If you move from one precinct to another in the same Ohio county, you
may report the change and vote using one of the following procedures:
(a) During the 28 days immediately before the election, go to your
county board of elections office or designated site, submit a proper
change of address and provisional affirmation statement and vote a
provisional ballot for your new voting address; or
(b) On Election Day, go to one of the following three places: the
polling place in the precinct in which your new voting address is
located, the board of elections office, or a site designated by that
board of elections; submit a proper change of address and provisional
affirmation statement and vote a provisional ballot for your new voting
address.
- If you move from the Ohio county in which you are registered to vote to
another Ohio county, you may report the change and vote using one of the
following procedures:
(a) During the 28 days immediately before the election, go to the
board of elections office of the county in which you now reside, submit
a proper change of address and provisional affirmation statement and
vote a provisional ballot for your new voting address; or
(b) On Election Day, go to one of the following two places: the board
of elections office in the county in which you now reside or a site
designated by that board of elections; submit a proper change of address
and provisional affirmation statement and vote a provisional ballot for
your new voting address.
If I have recently changed my name but did not update my voter
registration, can I vote a provisional ballot?
Yes. If you changed your name and did not submit your change of name to
election officials by the 29th day before the election, you may report the
change and vote on Election Day by appearing at one of the following places to
submit a proper change of name and provisional affirmation statement and vote
a provisional ballot:
(a) Your polling place for your precinct or
(b) A site designated by that board of elections;
