Hamilton County voters who still have a mail ballot need to return it before the Nov. 3 deadline. There is no grace period.

All absentee ballots must arrive at the county Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, Election Day. A law passed by Republican legislators last year ended the post-Election Day grace period that previously allowed late-arriving mail ballots to count, Signal Cincinnati reported.

Statewide, 235,496 requested mail ballots have not been returned, according to state election records cited by Signal Cincinnati. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said Tuesday, Oct. 27, that voters should consider taking completed ballots to the 24/7 drop box outside their county Board of Elections office rather than mailing them.

"Of course, you are permitted to mail it, but you're taking a chance when you do that," LaRose said.

For voters in Anderson Township, Mariemont, Terrace Park and Newtown, the drop box sits outside the Hamilton County Board of Elections at 4700 Smith Road. The box is available around the clock, but only for voters returning their own ballot.

Anyone dropping off a ballot for a family member or a voter with a disability must either mail it or hand it to an elections official at the Board of Elections office during business hours. They must also complete a Ballot Delivery Attestation form, according to the Hamilton County Board of Elections.

Ohio law limits who can return someone else's ballot to close relatives: a spouse, parent, father-in-law, mother-in-law, grandparent, sibling, child, adopting parent, adopted child, stepparent, stepchild, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece. Voters with disabilities may choose anyone except an employer, union representative or their agents.

Changed your mind or never got your ballot?

Voters who requested a mail ballot but want to vote in person have two options, according to Signal Cincinnati. They can visit the Board of Elections during early voting hours and cast a ballot in person. Officials will ask for the unvoted mail ballot so they can mark it spoiled, but voters can proceed without it.

The other option is voting at a regular polling place on Election Day. That vote will be cast as a provisional ballot, which won't be counted immediately while officials verify the voter didn't vote twice.

Early voting hours

The Hamilton County Early Vote Center at 4700 Smith Road has extended hours through Sunday, Nov. 1, the last day of early voting:

  • Oct. 28–30 (Wednesday through Friday): 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  • Oct. 31 (Saturday): 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Nov. 1 (Sunday): 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

There is no early in-person voting on Monday, Nov. 2.

Election Day and ID

Polls open on Nov. 3 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters must bring an unexpired photo ID. Ohio accepts the following forms:

  • Ohio driver's license or state ID
  • Interim ID form from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles
  • U.S. passport or passport card
  • U.S. military ID, military dependent ID, Ohio National Guard ID or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID

Student IDs, Ohio mobile IDs and out-of-state licenses are not accepted. Voters can reach the Hamilton County Board of Elections at 513-946-8500.