The March 17th Ohio Primary is almost upon us and it is important to be certain you are ready. Even if this is not your first time voting there are some preparations every voter needs to do. If you have been watching the news, you know that one of the tactics of the Republican Party has been to make it harder for voters who are likely to vote Democratic to cast a ballot. Much of this is accomplished by removing voter registrations. It’s not clear how many of these are eligible voters or people who have moved or died, and they should be taken off the lists due to not voting is several elections. Advocacy groups call this purges and purging. States call this list maintenance, which, in fact, is something that they’re required to do by federal law under certain restrictions.
Either way it is being done and properly registered voters have found themselves unable to vote due to their registrations being removed from the voting rolls. The only way you can protect yourself is to check your registration with the Butler County Board of Elections or the Secretary of State’s Office.
Am I Registered To Vote?
The last opportunity to register to vote in the March 17th Ohio Primary is less than a month away. The deadline is Tuesday, February 17. Now the question is who needs to register? It might just be you. Those needing to register are far more than those who have never registered. It may include you if you:
- have moved since the last time you voted.
- have changed your legal name due to marriage or for some other reason.
- are registered but have not voted in several elections. You may have been purged due to an inactive voting status.
- wish to be certain you are registered.
Rule of Thumb
The rule of thumb about whether or not to fill out a voter registration form is if you’re not 100-percent certain, register. It is perfectly legal to submit a new voter registration form anytime. If you are registered and none of your information has changed the Board of Elections will simply ignore the new application.
How Do I Know If I Am Registered?
Find out whether or not you are registered by going to the Butler County Board of Elections website at www.butlercountyelections.org or you may click on this link https://elections.bcohio.us/am_i_registered/index.php and fill out the information. It will either show you are registered or will tell you that it does not have a listing for you under that name or at that address.
Register or Update Your Voter Registration Information
Go to the Ohio Secretary of State’s website https://olvr.ohiosos.gov/ to fill out an online voter registration form. You can also update your address or make a name change using the same link.