Voting in Ohio

Oberlin students spend about eight months of the year in lovely Ohio. This is a perfectly good reason to change your voter registration to Ohio, and means you get a voice in local politics.

However, it should be known that many citizens of the town tend to find student voting to be troubling, at the very least, because students are not taxed (neither is any of the college's land, leading to very high property values and a very high foreclosure rate in Lorain County) and tend to graduate and move away, leaving citizens of the town to deal with the decisions set in motion by the third of the population that happen to be students.

"I can't encourage people enough to register to vote in this town. You live here. A big election is going on this Fall and speaking as an alum and someone working in the downtown, we really need to continue the positive changes that were made in city government after the 2003 election. It has enabled projects like the East College Street Project and other progressive legislation to move forward." --burdenofdreams (19 Aug 2005) [1]

[edit] Info on being denied the right to vote

"At the polls, someone may challenge your Ohio residency by asking if you 'intend to live in Ohio on a permanent basis' or if this is your 'home'. If you answer 'no' to questions like this, you can be barred from voting because you lack the 'present intent' necessary to claim Ohio citizenship. 'Present intent' means that you want to live in Ohio now, and have no plans to live anywhere else in the near future. It doesn't mean that you're going to live in Ohio for the rest of your life." (from Professor Frantz)

[edit] What is a "Provisional Ballot?"

Ohio Law now requires voters to provide proper identification at the polling place. Acceptable forms of identification include your Ohio driver's license or Ohio photo ID (even if it shows a previous address), or a bank statement, utility bill, paycheck, or a government-issued document which shows your current address at which you are registered to vote. The law is pretty generous in what documents will serve as identification, but Oberlin College students may still find documenting the street address of their residence hall somewhat difficult.

When you go to the polling place, the poll workers will confirm your registration by matching your signature in the voter record book. If your registration (or change of address form) was filed before the 29th day before the election, all should be well. But if you aren't listed in the book, or you fail to provide acceptable proof of identity, and you're sure you are in the right polling place, you will file a "provisional ballot." In the November 2007 election, over a hundred provisional ballots were cast in Oberlin alone. Provisional ballots cast the deciding vote in one of the school levy issues that day; the levy was reported to have failed with the returns available Election Day, but after all the provisional ballots were verified and counted, it passed by over a hundred votes. These official results weren't available until November 27th, three weeks after the election!

If you have proper ID, and you're in the right polling place, then you will fill out the provisional affirmation statement and submit your ballot. The Lorain County Board of Elections will confirm your registration status following the election and record your vote. You need do nothing further.

If you've forgotten to bring your ID, then for your vote to count you MUST either provide the poll worker the last four digits of your Social Security Number or file the affirmation statement. If you cannot provide ID on Election Day and do not file an affirmation statement or provide your SSN, you can go to the Lorain County Board of Elections office at 1985 North Ridge Road in Lorain within ten days following the election to validate your ballot.

If your right to vote was challenged at the polling place, you must go to the Board of Elections office within ten days to provide documentation required to resolve the challenge, usually to confirm your address.

Remember: On Election Day, bring a photo ID or documentation of your Social Security Number, and be sure you have gone to the right polling place to cast your ballot. If any of these might be difficult for you, you may cast an absentee ballot for any reason.