If you haven’t yet voted on the issue that would make it more difficult to change Ohio’s constitution, this is the last day to do so.

Early voting on Ohio Issue One has ended, leaving Tuesday, August 8th special election as the last opportunity to cast your ballot in person.

Issue One, the only item on the ballot, was placed before voters by Ohio's GOP-controlled legislature. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has said that the vote is “100% about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution,”  referencing a reproductive rights amendment scheduled to go before voters in November.

The proposed Issue One amendment would require that any proposed amendment to the state constitution receive the approval of at least 60 percent of eligible voters voting on the proposed amendment, instead of the current 50%.

It would also require that any initiative petition filed on or after January 1, 2024, proposing to amend the Ohio constitution be signed by at least five percent of the electors of each county based on the total vote in the county for governor in the last preceding election.

As of Friday, 578,490 Ohioans have already cast ballots, with 390,331 of those votes cast in person by early voters.

According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, 151,977 absentee ballots have been returned by mail, 9,997 ballots have been hand-delivered to the boards of elections, and 26,185 ballots have been placed in secure drop boxes at Ohio's county boards of election.

The county-by-county breakdown is 234 votes in Columbiana County; 802 in Mahoning County; and 725 in Trumbull County.

Absentee ballots, returned in person or via a method other than U.S. Mail, must be received by the boards of elections by close of polls at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The polls will be open for in-person voting from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. during Tuesday’s special August 8 election.

If the voter or the voter’s minor child is hospitalized because of an accident or medical emergency, the voter may apply for an absentee ballot until 3 p.m.

Identification is required for voters.

There are several types of valid photo identification:

  • Ohio driver's license;
  • State of Ohio ID card;
  • Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV;
  • A US passport;
  • A US passport card;
  • US military ID card;
  • Ohio National Guard ID card; or
  • US Department of Veterans Affairs ID card

All photo IDs must have the following:

  •  An expiration date that has not passed;
  • A photograph of the voter;
  • The voter’s name, which must substantially conform to the voter’s name as it appears in the Poll List or in the Poll Book

An unexpired Ohio Driver's License, State ID Card, or Interim Documentation with your former address IS an acceptable form of ID when your current address is in the poll book.