Resources for Student Voters

General Election Information

The 2022 General Election will take place on November 8, 2022. The deadline for registering to vote at your current address in Ohio is October 11, 2022. If you wish to vote in Ohio, you must be registered at your current address; see below for information on voter registration.  Whether voting in Ohio, absentee, or by mail, be sure you are prepared and know when and how you can submit (or cast) your ballot.

Check your state
411 Election Information

Voter Registration

Are you registered to vote? Of course, you are! If you are registered in Ohio, please check the Lorain County Board of Elections at www.voteloraincountyohio.gov to verify that you have successfully registered. If you are not in the same dormitory or apartment as you were when you last voted in Ohio, you need to update your voter registration. Look for voter registration drives on campus or fill out a voter registration form at the Science Center library. Contact aricker@oberlin.edu or zpage@oberlin.edu for more information.

Learn Who and What is on the Ballot

In Oberlin the ballot will include U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, Governor,  Secretary of State, and other statewide offices, and the Ohio Senate, Ohio House, and county offices. There are also judicial elections for the Ohio Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and the local courts.

See the list of candidates at the Lorain County Board of Elections.

Find out what's on your ballot

Plan Your Vote: Here’s How

Three Ways to Vote

Vote by Mail

You can request an absentee ballot by printing and mailing this form before November 5. Absentee voting starts October 12. Make sure you are correctly registered first.

Absentee Request

Vote Early in Person

• You can vote early in-person at the Lorain Board of Elections between October 12 through November 7. Check voting hours and get directions.

• You don’t need a utility bill, but you’ll need to know your registration address (residence hall address, not OCMR) and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number. Look up your registration address.

Vote at the Polls on Election Day

• Find your polling location (https://www.voteloraincountyohio.gov/find-polling-location). Please note that polling for college students may depend on your on-campus residence.

• Be sure to bring a utility bill as part of your ID. The college will generate your utility bill in the last week of October and send it by email as a pdf attachment.

 Decadal Redistricting

After every 10-year census, each state adjusts the number and location of its federal congressional districts as well as those for the state legislatures. In 2015, Ohio voters amended the state constitution in an attempt to reduce partisan gerrymanders in the state legislature by creating a bipartisan redistricting commission and a set of rules to make it more difficult for the majority party to redraw districts in their favor. In 2018, Ohio voters approved a separate but somewhat parallel amendment to reduce gerrymandering for U.S. congressional districts.

In 2021, these two processes were implemented for the first time after a delayed census report due to the Covid-19 disruption. The commissions were unable to reach a bipartisan consensus, and new maps were approved based on the majority party (Republican) designs. A number of voting rights organizations, including the non-partisan League of Women Voters, filed suit against the redistricting commission, arguing that the maps approved for both state and federal legislatures are unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders.

In four separate rulings, The Ohio Supreme Court rejected as unconstitutional the latest Ohio House and Senate district maps. Earlier in 2022, the court ruled that the maps drawn for the federal districts also do not comply with the state's constitution anti-gerrymandering requirements. Nevertheless, the maps will be used for the General Election in 2022.  New maps will not be in place until 2024.

Sources:
“All About Redistricting” - Loyola Law School;
“State Redistricting Deadlines” - National Conference of State Legislatures
"Ohio Supreme Court rules the latest GOP-drawn state legislative district maps unconstitutional" -Statehouse News Bureau
“Ohio Supreme Court scraps 2nd GOP-drawn congressional map” - Politico News