The deadline for voter registration for the August 3 special primary election is coming up on July 6, with early voting for the special primary election beginning on Wednesday, July 7, according to the 2021 Ohio Elections Calendar.
This partisan primary election is to choose the Democratic and Republican candidates who will vie in November to fill the seat of Ohio 15th District Representative to the U.S. Congress, previously held by Steve Stivers (R-Upper Arlington), who retired in May. The term expires Jan. 3, 2023.
Candidates on the Democratic ballot are Greg Betts and Allison Russo.
Candidates on the Republican ballot are John Adams, Mike Carey, Eric Clark, Thad Cooperrider, Ruth Edmonds, Ron Hood, Thomas Hwang, Stephanie Kunze, Jeff LaRe, Bob Peterson, Brian Stewart, and Omar Tarazi.
Early voting hours at the Fayette County Board of Elections for the Aug. 3 primary are:
—Wednesday, July 7 through Friday, July 23: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays.
—Monday, July 26 through Friday, July 30: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
—Saturday, July 31: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
—Sunday, August 1: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
—Monday, August 2: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Polling places are open on Election Day, August 3, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
With the deadline to register to vote in this partisan primary election coming up on July 6, county residents have a few different options to either register or update registrations.
One way to register to vote is by visiting the Fayette County Board of Elections (BOE), 135 S. Main St. in Washington Court House.
A second option is to utilize online voter registration through the website of the Ohio Secretary of State, Frank LaRose: www.olvr.ohiosos.gov/.
Carnegie Public Library also assists community members in registering, 127 S. North St. in Washington C.H., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
As previously reported, requirements to vote in Ohio include: being a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days prior to the election, not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction, being 18 years old or older at the time of the election, have not been declared as incompetent to vote by the probate court and have not been permanently disenfranchised for violating the election laws.
Those who are currently serving jail or prison sentences for a felony conviction cannot register or vote. People who have been convicted twice for a violation of Ohio’s election laws are barred from voting in Ohio.
When someone is incarcerated on a felony conviction, previously existing registrations are cancelled and the person must re-register to vote by the appropriate deadline once released.
A person generally needs an Ohio identification or driver’s license number, full name, date of birth, permanent address and the last four digits of their social security number in order to register.
A permanent address is a location a person intends to return to and is not a temporary stay. Those without permanent addresses who stay consistently in shelters or other locations can use that location as the residence for voting purposes as long as there is an intention to return to that location.
The residence of military voters along with military voter spouses and dependents is the last location lived in (in Ohio) immediately before leaving Ohio for military service.
If Ohio college students live on campus and have no intention of returning to a previous permanent address, the student may register and vote using the school’s location. If there is an intent to return, the student can also choose to stay registered and vote from their permanent address away from school, such as their parents’ address. Regardless of which option is taken, only one address can be used for registration and voting purposes.
