Voting FAQs

As long as you meet the state's eligibility requirements listed below and have lived in Ohio for at least 30 days before the election, you may choose to vote in your college community. To do so, you must register using your local address. If you live on-campus, you will list the current street address of your residence hall (not a P.O. Box) on your voter registration form. If you prefer, as a student, you can register in your home state instead of Ohio. If you are studying remotely, please see guidance in the following FAQs.

TurboVote makes the process of getting registered to vote easy through an online process that takes minutes to complete and will email you (or postal mail if you prefer) all the forms you need to get registered to vote. Since CWRU students come from across the country, this tool helps students manage voter registration deadlines and provides election reminders for all 50 states. Through TurboVote, CWRU students can get materials needed to register to vote, request to vote by mail and receive election reminders.

You are qualified to register to vote in Ohio if you meet all the following requirements:

1. You are a citizen of the United States;
2. You will be at least 18 years old on or before the day of the next general election. (If you will be 18 on or before the general election, you may vote in the primary election to nominate candidates, but you cannot vote on issues or party central committees until you are 18);
3. You will be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days immediately before the election in which you want to vote;
4. You are not incarcerated (in prison or jail) for a felony conviction under the laws of this state, another state, or the United States;
5. You have not been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court; and
6. You have not been permanently disenfranchised for violating the election laws.

If you are a CWRU student who is currently studying remotely, you should register wherever you will reside at the time of the election. If you previously registered to vote in Cuyahoga County (because you were living on campus) and you no longer live here because you are studying remotely, you will need to register to vote at your current address.

There are a number of different scenarios for where college students should register to vote this year. This guidance follows general principles of residency for voting purposes, but you should check with your local election officials for the specific voter registration rules where you live. Check out the Fair Elections Center's Campus Vote Project's Voter Registration Scenario Guidance for assistance.

You can also get the voter registration forms you need for any state through TurboVote, or visit Campus Vote Project's State Guides.

Ohio's voter registration form asks for your Ohio driver's license or ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security Number.

If you are registering by mail and you do not include an Ohio driver's license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number, you must include a copy of another accepted form of photo ID. 

Failure to provide this information could lead to you having to show additional identification when you vote that shows your picture or your name and address. Make sure to provide this information on the registration form so the state can verify your identity and you don't run into issues when you cast your ballot.

You can only register to vote online if your state enables that type of registration (Ohio has online registration if you have an Ohio drivers license or Ohio identification card).

However, through a partnership with TurboVote, you can get all the materials you need online - for any state. Visit case.turbovote.org to fill out your information online, TurboVote will then email or mail you a copy of your voter registration form. You will be asked to fill in some additional pieces of information, sign the form, and mail the completed form to the appropriate board of elections (they will provide the address). Through TurboVote you can also request an absentee ballot and sign up for Election Day reminder emails and/or text messages.

You can search by specific state and county for local election offices here.

CWRU is located in Cuyahoga County; click here to go to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. 

Federal law requires that states collect from each registrant an identification number. You must refer to your state's specific instructions for item #6 regarding information on what number is acceptable for your state. Follow this link to the instruction booklet for the National Voter Registration form - you will find instructions for box #6 under the state you are registering in. 

You can preview your ballot through Ballotopedia. We recommend students spend some time researching the issues and candidates on their ballot to make informed decisions.

• If you are registered in Ohio, you can find your polling location through the Ohio Secretary of State Website.

• Click here to find your polling place by state!

• Students registered to vote with their on-campus address can find their polling location here.

• Through TurboVote you can sign up for Election Day reminder emails and/or text messages that include your polling address. 

Those who vote early in person at the County Board of Elections OR vote in person at the polls on Election Day must show an accepted form of photo ID; click here for more details on Ohio's voter ID requirements. We advise all voters to view the most up-to-date ID requirements on the Ohio Secretary of State website.

Visit How To Vote. Select "vote" and your particular state to see identification requirements in the section titled What to Bring.

Yes! You can vote absentee.

Voting Absentee: An absentee ballot is the printed ballot marked by an absent voter, sealed in a special envelope, and given or mailed to the municipal clerk. The municipal clerk ensures that each absentee ballot that is returned in a timely manner gets to the right polling place on Election Day. If accepted, the absentee ballot is counted as if the voter had cast the ballot in person. To request an absentee ballot online and by mail visit the County Board of Elections website for the county you are registered to vote in. You can also visit TurboVote to request an absentee ballot. 

For additional information about state-specific absentee voting (including deadlines), you can enter your state on How To Vote and follow the associated links. 

Start as soon as you can to get everything you need to vote by mail. Request your mail-in ballot (often called an "absentee" ballot) right away. TurboVote can help you start the absentee/mail-in ballot request process. Make sure to watch your mailbox for the ballot and research the candidates and issues so you are ready to fill it out when it arrives. You can preview what will be on your ballot here. 

If you haven't received your ballot by 30 days before Election Day, contact your local election office.

For those living in the US, the US Post Office recommends you mail your ballot at least 7 days before Election Day, but the earlier you can mail it, the better. See additional details at the USPS voter info website.

You may be able to deliver your completed mail-in ballot in-person to a drop-off box at your county board of elections; contact your local board of elections to learn more. Cuyahoga County (CWRU's location) has a drop-box; you can see location and details here. 

Additionally, you can track your Ohio absentee ballot here. For all other states, check out this article to find out about tracking a ballot.

Registered voters in Ohio, who have requested an absentee ballot, but do not fill out their ballot and return it, can still vote early and in-person.

Early in-person voting requires voters to go to their county board of elections office to vote.

Voters going to vote early and in person can bring their blank absentee ballot with them, and elections workers are required to collect them to be destroyed. But voters don’t have to bring the ballot in order to cast a normal vote. Elections workers are able to check a voter’s file, guarantee they haven’t previously voted, and mark that their ballot has been cast.

If a voter shows up on Election Day after requesting an absentee but does not return the absentee ballot, they will have to cast a provisional ballot. 

You can go here for more details.

See this link to Know Your Voting Rights! To report any issues you encounter while voting and to receive guidance on how to safely cast a ballot, students can call or text the Election Protection Hotline:  

• English: 1-866-OUR-VOTE / 1-866-687-8683 
• Spanish: 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA / 1-888-839-8682

Where you register to vote, will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants and Perkins or Stafford loans or your dependency status regarding FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

No. Simply registering to vote in Ohio does not mean you must obtain a driver's license and register your vehicle in the state.

No. Being registered to vote in a different state or at a different address from you parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.  

Students are welcome to stop by CCEL on the first floor of the Tinkham Veale University Center any time during business hours, where a student or staff member can assist them in using TurboVote and completing their absentee ballot request forms. We can print paper copies in the office.

You may also email commservice@case.edu to setup a specific time or you can schedule an appointment and we can answer your questions over Zoom - just email us!  

View state-specific voting guides developed by Campus Vote Project to increase voter understanding of registration deadlines, where to register (their home or school address), ID requirements, and other information on voting.

You can also look up state-specific information on How To Vote.

You can play a role in our democracy by being a poll worker! The qualifications for poll workers vary by state and jurisdiction, so you will need to reach out to the county you would like to work in; learn more about your county requirements here.

For Cuyahoga County (CWRU's location), a poll worker must be registered to vote in Cuyahoga County. However, there are some roles that do not require a registered voter and you can inquire about those by calling the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections at 216-443-VOTE (8683). Applications for poll workers in Cuyahoga County are available here or you can call the Board and sign-up over the phone. For students outside of Cuyahoga County who want to work at the polls in another state or county, please visit the Help America Vote website to find your state specific information.

*CWRU student poll workers must follow current CWRU safety guidelines for COVID-19 during their poll worker duties, check CWRU’s website (https://case.edu/covid19) for the most recent updates. They should communicate with the board and cancel their participation if they are feeling ill.