CLEVELAND — We are in that season — not autumn, but another which catches our attention and reminds us of a right we share.
It is voting season.
In Ohio, the first formal count of voters began in August 1803, the year the state entered the Union. It was not until 1845 that Ohio law required registration to cast a vote.
Today, more than six million Ohioans are registered. Still, many citizens who could vote remain ineligible because they have not registered, but registration is an easy process.
You are qualified to register to vote in Ohio if you are:
- A citizen of the United States.
- At least 18 years of age on or before the day of the next general election, which this election cycle is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
- A resident of Ohio at least 30 days before Election Day.
- You are not incarcerated in prison or jail for a felony conviction under any state law or of the United States.
- You have not been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court.
Pass all of that, and you may obtain a registration form from a number of places, including but not limited to one of Ohio's 88 county boards of elections, any deputy registrars office of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, or public library. Also, registration forms may be found at any State Department of Health office.
Once you have completed the voter registration form, you or someone you designate may personally take or mail the form to any of the offices mentioned.
But you should ensure your application to vote reaches the board of elections soon! The deadline to register is Tuesday, Oct. 7.
After you are registered, you are ready to vote on Election Day, or even early at your county's board of elections. You may also request an absentee ballot, which you can fill out and get to the board of elections by Election Day.
The first time I voted in a presidential election, I was in the U.S. Army and stationed in the war zone of Vietnam. I voted absentee. It was part of my continuing belief that the vote was and is the major cornerstone of American democracy.
The vote is a right; don't let it slip unused through your fingers because you weren't registered.