Tuesday marks 30 days before Ohio voters will take to the polls and pick their favorite presidential candidates for the state primary.

 

That means Tuesday is the deadline to register to vote for the March 15 primary, as well as the deadline to update addresses and other information. 

 

Since Ohio is a key swing state, voting in the state is held in high regard for candidates in both parties. 

 

But in order to participate, there are some steps that voters need to take.  

 

Currently in Ohio, voter registration is not allowed online and forms must be either mailed or personally delivered.

 

Fortunately, those forms are widely available.

 

Forms can be picked up at most libraries and at the Portage County Board of Elections, located minutes down the road at 449 S Meridian St. in Ravenna.

 

For more tech-savvy voters, applications are also available online at MyOhioVote.com.

 

While voter registration is not allowed online, Ohioans can also use MyOhioVote.com to update their address online if they moved since the last election.

 

These forms must be postmarked by Tuesday and sent to the Portage County Board of Elections.

 

The forms can also be hand delivered to the board before it closes at 9 p.m. Tuesday night.

 

Voters will also be required to show proof of identification through one of three options: driver’s license number, the last four digits of a social security number or a copy of government issued identification.

 

Identification is also required to vote in the election.

 

Driver’s licenses may be the most commonly used form of identification, but voters do have a few more options:

• Military ID
• Any government issued photo ID
• An original copy of any recent government document with address and full name
• An original copy of a recent utility bill, bank statement or paycheck

Also, according Ohio law, voters are required to declare their political party in order to vote for candidates in the Ohio primary.

 

And for those registered voters who will be busy or out of town for the primary, absentee ballots are available until March.

 

Until then, Ohioans will have to wait until March 15 to pick their favorite candidates.