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Absentee voting begins 35 days
before primary and general elections and - except for voters
hospitalized due to emergencies, discussed under "Absentee
Deadlines" below - ends the day before the election.
Once absentee ballots are available for voting, an absentee
voter may either vote in person at the Hancock county board
of elections office, or receive and return the absentee
ballot via U.S. Mail.
Q1. 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.; Your request must contain certain information
(discussed below) and your original signature. You may, but
are not required to, use the application form provided
below, but you MUST SIGN YOUR REQUEST AND MAIL IT TO:
Hancock County Board of Elections
201 East Lincoln Street - REAR
Findlay, Oh 45840
Q2.
How do I apply for an absentee ballot?
Ohio law has separate application processes, described
below, for different voters:
"Regular" ABSENTEE
An Ohio application form may
be used for convenience, but Is Not Required
Absentee Application Form
Application
(ADOBE PDF)
APPLICATION (MS WORD)
however, all mail requests
must include the following information:
1.
Your name
2.
Your signature
3.
The address at which you are registered to vote
4.
Your date of birth
5.
A statement identifying the election for which you are
requesting an absent
voter's ballots,
6.
A statement that you are a qualified elector,
7.
If the request is for a primary election ballot, your
political party affiliation; and
8.
If you want the ballots to be mailed, the address to which
you want them mailed.
AND
One of the following:
1.
Your Ohio driver's license number, or
2.
The last four digits of your social security number,
or
3.
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.
B.
"ARMED SERVICES" ABSENTEE
If you are serving in the U.S.
armed forces on active duty outside the State of Ohio, you,
your spouse and dependents may vote by an armed service
absentee ballot if you otherwise meet the requirements for
voting in Ohio. Your spouse and dependents may vote by an
armed service absentee ballot only if they left Ohio to be
with you.
To apply for an armed service absentee ballot, you, your
spouse or a close relative may request that the Board of
Elections mail a ballot to you. an Application may be made
in person, by mail, or fax. An Ohio application form or a
federal post card application may be used for convenience,
but neither is required;
Armed Services Absentee
Request Forms:
Request by voter
OR;
Request By Relative
OR;
Federal Post Card Application
however, all mail requests
must include the following information:
1. Your name
2. Ohio voting address
3. Date of Birth
4. A statement that you are serving in the U.S. armed forces
on active duty or are the
spouse or dependent of a
service member.
5. The election for which you are requesting an absentee
ballot.
6. If the election is a primary; your party choice, or if
you wish to vote an issues-only ballot.
7. The mailing Address or fax number to which you want your
ballot sent.
8. Signature of the person requesting ballot.
AND One of the following:
1.
Your Ohio driver's license number, or
2.
The last four digits of your social security number,
or
3.
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.
-
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. The Hancock
County Board of Elections mailing address is 201 East
Lincoln Street - Rear, Findlay, Oh 45840. 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.
By fax: If you are a
member of the U.S. armed forces
you may fax your absentee ballot request to the board of
elections @ 419-424-7293. 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.
In person: You may
come to
the board of elections office during regular business hours
8:30am to 4:30pm 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.
In
hospital on election day: Regardless of where you
are hospitalized, you must submit a properly completed and
signed request to the Hancock County board of elections 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:
If cast from anywhere in the United States, whether returned
in person or by mail, your ballot must be received by The
Hancock county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on election
day.
If properly returned from out-of-country, your ballot must
be received by The Hancock county board of elections no
later than the 10th day after the election.
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