Registering to Vote

Qualifications


To qualify to vote, you must be:
  • U.S citizen
  • 18 years old on or before the next general election
  • Resident of Ohio for at least 30 days immediately right before election day
  • Registered to vote at least 30 days before election day
  • You are not incarcerated (in jail or in prison) for a felony conviction
  • You have not been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court
  • You have not been permanently disenfranchised for violations of election laws
  • Use this form to register to vote or update a current Ohio registration if you have changed your address or name

Deadline


Your registration or change must be received or postmarked 30 days before an election at which you intend to vote. You will be notified by your county board of elections of the location where you vote. If you do not receive a notice prior to election day, call your county board of elections.

Lines 1 and 2 are required by law. You must answer both of the questions for your registration to be processed.

Register Online


Visit the Montgomery County website to register online.

Registering in Person


You must provide either a current valid Ohio driver's license, or the last four digits of your social security number on line 10. If you have neither, please write “None”.

Registering by Mail


If you register by mail and do not provide either a current Ohio driver's license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number, please enclose with your application a copy of one of the following forms of identification that shows your name and current address:
  • Current valid photo identification card, military identification
  • Current (within one year) utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check, or government document (except board of elections notifications) showing your name and current address.

Residency Requirements


Your voting residence is the location that you consider to be a permanent, not a temporary, residence. Your voting residence is the place in which your habitation is fixed and to which, whenever you are absent, you intend to return. If you do not have a fixed place of habitation, but you are a consistent or regular inhabitant of a shelter or other location to which you intend to return, you may use that shelter or other location as your residence for purposes of registering to vote. If you have questions about your specific residency circumstances, you may contact your local board of elections for further information.

Instructions


Please read the entire form before you complete. Type the following information in the boxes provided.
  • Line 3: Your last name, full legal first name, middle name or initial and any suffix such as Jr., Sr., etc
  • Line 4-6: House number, street, city and zip code for your current residence.
  • Line 7: Mailing address only if it is different from your residence address, including post office box if applicable.
  • Line 8: The county for your current residence.
  • Line 9: The 2-digit number of the month, the day and the year you were born - example: 04/24/45.
  • Line 10: Ohio driver's license number OR last 4 digits of your Social Security number.
  • Line 11: Telephone number (voluntary)
  • Line 12: Previous address. Complete this section only if you are, or have been, registered to vote. (Street address, City, County, and State)
  • Line 13: Complete only if you have changed your name since last registration. Put your former legal name in first box; your former legal signature in second box.
  • Line 14: Signature. Your complete legal signature or mark should not touch surrounding lines or type. If signature is a mark, include name and address of the person who witnessed the mark. The current date should be included.
  • Once you have submitted your information, your registration form will appear on your screen. Print your registration form.

Signature


Your registration cannot be processed without your signature. On line 14, please write your cursive, hand-written signature or make your legal mark, taking care that it does not touch surrounding lines so when it is digitally imaged by your county board of elections it can effectively be used to identify your signature.

Do not forget to sign and date your registration form before mailing it to the board of elections. Please mail to:
Montgomery County Board of Elections Director
451 W. Third St.
Dayton, OH 45422