Section 3509.051 | Casting absent voter's ballots in person.
An elector may appear at the office of the board of elections to cast absent voter's ballots in person instead of applying for those ballots under section 3509.03 of the Revised Code. Notwithstanding section 3509.05 or any other provision of the Revised Code to the contrary, all of the following shall apply to the casting of absent voter's ballots in person:
(A)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section, in-person absent voting shall be permitted only during the period beginning on the first day after the close of voter registration before the election and ending at five p.m. on the Sunday before the day of the election.
(2) If, at the time for the close of in-person absent voting on a particular day, there are voters waiting in line to cast their ballots, the in-person absent voting location shall be kept open until such waiting voters have cast their absent voter's ballots.
(B) An in-person absent voter shall provide photo identification to the election officials, sign a poll list or signature pollbook, and cast a ballot in the same manner as a voter who casts a ballot in person on the day of an election under section 3505.18 of the Revised Code.
The absent voter shall not be required to complete a written application for absent voter's ballots or a statement of voter on an absent voter's ballot identification envelope.
(C) No person other than an election official shall be permitted to challenge the right to vote of an absent voter who is casting a ballot in person. An election official may challenge the right to vote of an absent voter who is casting a ballot in person in the same manner as a precinct election official may challenge the right to vote of an elector on the day of an election under section 3505.20 or 3513.19 of the Revised Code.
(D) An individual who appears to cast absent voter's ballots in person and is eligible to cast a provisional ballot under section 3505.181 of the Revised Code shall be permitted to do so as though the individual had appeared at a polling place on the day of the election.
(E) No absent voter may receive a replacement ballot after the voter's absent voter's ballot has been scanned or entered into automatic tabulating equipment.
(F) Ballots cast under this section, other than provisional ballots, may be recorded by a voting machine or scanned by automatic tabulating equipment before the close of the polls on the day of the election, but the board of elections shall not tabulate or count the votes on those ballots before that time.
Last updated January 24, 2023 at 4:04 PM
Available Versions of this Section
- March 20, 2019 – Enacted by House Bill 41 - 132nd General Assembly [ View March 20, 2019 Version ]
- April 7, 2023 – Amended by House Bill 458 - 134th General Assembly [ View April 7, 2023 Version ]