Ohio voters will soon see an absentee ballot request form in their mailbox, if they haven't already received it.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose said his office mailed applications to all registered voters for the Nov. 3 election that are slated to arrive around Labor Day weekend. Ohio sends the forms in every even-year general election.
This year, Ohioans will choose a new governor and decide a slew of other key races, including a close contest for U.S. Senate.
Here's what you need to know about absentee voting.
What will I get in the mail?
Voters will receive an instruction letter from LaRose's office, along with an absentee ballot application and return envelope. The materials are contained in an envelope with the label "official election mail."
Ohioans may also receive applications
from third-party organizations in the coming weeks.
"As various groups and campaigns ramp up their communication with voters, every Ohioan should be vigilant when completing any forms that are not labeled official election mail," LaRose said in a statement.
How do I request an absentee ballot?
If you get a form in the mail, you can fill it out and use the return envelope to send it back. Voters can also complete and download ballot applications at voteohio.gov.
Absentee requests can be mailed or taken directly to your county board of elections.
Along with the signed form, you must provide your driver's license number, Social Security number or a copy of your photo ID.
Ohioans have until Oct. 27 to request an absentee ballot.
What happens next?
Election officials will begin mailing absentee ballots to people who requested them on Oct. 6.
Completed ballots are due by 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3. Ballots can be returned by mail or in person at the county board of elections. Ohio no longer has a grace period for absentee ballots that arrive after Election Day.
What about that Supreme Court decision?
The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump a win in August over a dispute about his executive order on mail-in voting. But the ruling was procedural and didn't address the policy itself.
Trump wants the U.S. Postal Service to oversee mail-in voting and block ballots from people who aren't on a state's list of verified voters. He asked the court Sept. 3 to greenlight his order ahead of the November midterms, USA TODAY reported.
The executive order does not ban mail-in voting outright. And since the legal fight is ongoing, it doesn't affect Ohio at this time.
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@usatodayco.com or @haleybemiller on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Get an Ohio absentee ballot application in the mail? Here's what to do next
