Important deadlines ahead of Ohio’s August special election

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Ohioans will head to the polls in August for a special election asking voters whether it should be harder to change the state’s constitution.

The GOP-backed proposal to increase the threshold for future amendments from a simple majority to 60% approval is in an effort to thwart a push to enshrine abortion rights in the state in a possible November ballot question. Advocacy groups for reproductive rights have until July 5 to gather enough signatures for that proposal on abortion access to make it on the November ballot.

The special election for Issue 1 is set for August 8, 2023. Here are several important deadlines voters should know ahead of Election Day, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office:

• June 23: Military and Overseas Absentee Ballot voting begins
• July 10: Deadline for voter registration for August 8 special election
• July 11: Early in-person absentee voting begins
• August 1: Applications for absentee ballots to be mailed for August 8 special election must be received by your local county board of elections, which will remain open until 8:30 p.m.
• August 8: Special election. Polls will be open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The official ballot language for the 60% question is shown in the PDF below.

Ohioans can register to vote online at the link here. Learn more about requesting an absentee ballot at the link here.

There are new voter identification requirements in place this year and some forms of ID voters have used in the past may no longer be accepted, like utility bills or social security cards. Learn more about what is and is not accepted, as well as where to get a free ID, at the link here.

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