GREENVILLE — At the end of 2022, the 134th Ohio General Assembly passed House Bill 458, which made a host of legislative changes to the administration of elections in Ohio. These changes will be in effect for the May 2, 2023 Primary/Special Election. In an effort to help voters, the Board of Elections is explaining the changes.
The biggest change relates to voter identification. Generally, voters will be required to provide a photo ID to vote in person, whether at our office or at their polling location. Photo ID will include a driver’s license, state-issued ID card, Military ID (including national guard or VA ID card) or a US passport. Voters without photo ID will be required to cast a provisional ballot. If a voter has a religious objection to being photographed, they may complete an affidavit of religious objection.
For voters who prefer to vote by mail, identification will consist of either a driver’s license number, state ID number, last four digits of their social security number, or a copy (front and back) of their photo identification.
House bill 458 also made changes to voting by mail. For those who wish to request an absentee ballot, they must now use the form provided by the Ohio Secretary of State. The deadline for those requests will now be the Tuesday before each election. Voters who need to “cure” their ballot – correcting information on their absentee ballot – will have until the Saturday after the election to do so.
The hours for Early Voting at the office no longer includes the Monday before the election. Those hours have been spread out along the last week of early voting. The early voting hours for the May Primary/Special Election are as follows:
April 4-7: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Tuesday through Friday)
April 10-14: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Monday through Friday)
April 17-21: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Monday through Friday)
April 24: 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Monday)
April 25: 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. (Tuesday)
April 26-28: 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Wednesday through Friday)
April 29: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Saturday)
April 30: 1 – 5 p.m. (Sunday)
In Darke County, there will be a Republican Candidate Primary in the City of Greenville and separate Special Levy Elections for Wayne Township and Northmont City School District.
For voters who need to register or update their registration due to an address or name change, the voter registration deadline for the upcoming May 2, 2023 Primary Election is April 3, 2023 at 9 p.m.
To vote by mail, an absentee ballot request form can be printed from VoteOhio.gov. Alternatively, forms can be requested by calling the Darke County Board of Elections at (937) 548-1835 or by stopping in the Board of Elections office located at 300 Garst Avenue, Greenville.
As always, please feel free to reach out to the office with questions at [email protected] or (937)-548-1835.
