CLEVELAND, Ohio – Military and overseas absentee voting is underway for the Aug. 8 Special Election, but for the rest of the population, early voting begins July 11.

There’s only one question on the ballot, State Issue 1, which, if passed, would require a 60% supermajority in future statewide votes to change the Ohio Constitution, rather than the current 50%, plus one vote threshold. It also would make it significantly harder to get issues on the ballot by requiring campaigns to collect a minimum number of signatures from all 88 counties, instead of the current 44 counties.

A “yes” vote would approve the changes, while a “no” vote would reject them.

Read more: Coverage of State Issue 1

The outcome of that vote could impact whether a potential abortion rights issue expected to appear on the November ballot will be successful.

Signatures are being collected now to put the “Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety” constitutional amendment before voters this fall. If passed, it would guarantee patients get to make their own decisions about reproduction, including birth control, fertility treatment, continuing a pregnancy or abortion and miscarriage care until viability, which is around 22 to 24 weeks.

But the state’s sudden decision to hold an August election has left BOE offices scrambling to prepare and voter turnout harder to predict. Generally, August elections are low turnout affairs, with the 2022 special election turning out only 8% of registered voters, but officials don’t know what to expect this year. They’ve estimated a wide range in turnout between 10-50%.

To avoid any confusion or conflicts with summer activities or vacations, officials are encouraging residents to make a voting plan.

“There’s more flexibility than ever,” Cuyahoga County Board of Elections spokesman Mike West said of the options.

We break down how to vote in Cuyahoga County.

Early in-person voting

Registered voters can cast their ballots in-person early at the BOE office, 2925 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, at various scheduled times from July 11 through August 6:

• 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday between July 11 and 28
• 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, July 31
• 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 1
• 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, Aug 2-4
• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5
• 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 6
• There is no early in-person voting on Monday, Aug. 7

The BOE office is tucked into a less-trafficked neighborhood east of downtown Cleveland, at the intersection of East 30th Street and Euclid Avenue. There is a small, one-way parking lot directly behind the building, off East 30th street, that voters can either drive through to place completed mail-in ballots in the drop box or park for free while they vote inside.

Most days, there are 18 public parking spaces available in the middle of the lot, with two handicap spaces next to the door, but on busy days, staff remove their vehicles to increase capacity to about 50 spaces. If that lot fills up, the elections office will provide overflow parking in a lot directly across the street on East 30th, about 200 feet from the office.

Any additional parking added will be well-marked and easily accessible, West said.

“We won’t allow people to be turned away by a lack of parking,” West said.

Public transit users can also take the number 9 bus to the stop at the intersection of Payne Avenue and E. 30th Street, and then walk the roughly half-mile south up E. 30th Street to the BOE office. Or riders could take the number 15 bus to the stop outside Cleveland State University’s Berkman Hall on E. 22nd Street and walk a third of a mile east down Euclid Avenue, to the office.

Riders coming from the east can also use the HealthLine, which stops directly in front of the BOE office.

Voters are asked to use the back entrance, unless the front door is marked as being open. They will enter through two sets of glass doors and immediately see a floor sign directing them to take the first right down a short hallway, passing by restrooms. At the end of the hall, voters will step left into the main room, where they’ll wait in line to be checked in.

At the check-in counter, voters will present a valid form of ID, which could include an Ohio driver’s license, state ID card (free at any Bureau of Motor Vehicles deputy registrar license agency), interim identification form from the BMV, US passport or passport card, or a US military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID card or Department of Veterans Affairs ID card. Once verified, voters will receive a printed ballot and will be directed to an open voting booth.

After completing their ballot, voters will remove the ballot stub and place it in a marked box before feeding their ballot through a scanner along the left wall. Staff will be available to help direct voters through each step, West said.

“For most people it’s just a matter of minutes,” West said of the voting process.

Voters who forget to bring a valid ID or who have not updated their registration with their current address can still cast a provisional ballot. Those ballots will be counted if the voter presents their valid proof of identity or otherwise has their eligibility verified by Aug. 12 — four days immediately following the election.

The deadline to register to vote or update an address is July 10.

By mail

Residents can vote by mail by requesting an application or printing one on the BOE website, and then mailing it to the office at P.O. Box 89448, Cleveland, OH 44101. Ballots will start being mailed to residents on July 11.

Once received and filled out, the ballot can either be mailed back to the same P.O. Box address — postmarked on or before August 7 — or deposited in the drop box, open 24 hours, in the Board of Elections parking lot, at 2925 Euclid Avenue, by 7:30 p.m. on August 8.

Residents who mail in ballots can track them at www.boe.cuyahogacounty.gov/voters/track-my-ballot.

On Election Day

Residents can cast their ballots at their assigned polling location from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. To verify your polling location, visit www.boe.cuyahogacounty.gov/voters/get-your-voting-information and enter your information, as instructed.

Your name and current address must match your voter registration record. You are also required to provide the same proof of identification as listed in the instructions for voting early – a driver’s license, state ID card, interim identification form, passport, passport card, or military ID card.

Again, voters who do not bring valid ID or have not updated their voter registration can still cast a provisional ballot, which will be counted once their eligibility is verified.

Additional questions about where or how to vote can be answered on the county BOE’s website or by calling 216-443-8683.