UC Votes
UC Votes aims to register students to vote, educate students on voting and ballot issues, ensure student ballot access, and get out the student vote.
The University of Cincinnati is committed to nonpartisan democratic engagement:
- The University of Cincinnati was designated as a Voter Friendly Campus by NASPA and the Fair Elections Center for 2021-2022 and 2023-2024
- President Pinto signed the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge's President's Commitment in September of 2022.
- UC was recognized as a 2022 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting in November of 2022 and was recognized with a Silver Seal by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for our 2022 democratic engagement efforts.
- Our 2022 NSLVE Campus Report is available to review. This report includes our student voter registration and student voting rates for federal election cycles.
- Our 2024 Campus Vote Plan is available to review. Our 2024 Campus Vote Plan was rated as a "Highly Establish Action Plan" by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.
Register to Vote with TurboVote
2024 Ohio Elections Key Dates
Key dates for the November 5, 2024 Presidential Election in Ohio:
- October 7, 2024: Deadline for voter registration for November 5 presidential election
- October 8, 2024: Early in-person absentee voting begins and absentee ballots can be mailed out by the boards of elections and filled out by voters for the November 5 presidential election
- October 29, 2024: Applications for absentee ballots to be mailed for November 5 presidential election must be received by boards of elections by close of business
- November 5, 2024: Presidential Election Day. Polls are open from 6:30AM-7:30PM
- November 9, 2024: Absentee ballots returned by U.S. Mail must be postmarked no later than November 4 and received by boards of elections by this date to be counted
UC Votes Events
Fall 2024 UC Votes Events:
- Advocacy in Action: Ohio Votes: September 9, 2024, 12PM-1:15PM, UC College of Law Room 230
- Featuring former Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor (Ohio Supreme Court) and Kayla Griffin, Ohio State Director of All Voting is Local. This event is co-sponsored by the Jones Center for Race, Gender and Social Justice and the Ohio Innocence Project- Policy. Limited box lunches will be provided.
- Featuring former Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor (Ohio Supreme Court) and Kayla Griffin, Ohio State Director of All Voting is Local. This event is co-sponsored by the Jones Center for Race, Gender and Social Justice and the Ohio Innocence Project- Policy. Limited box lunches will be provided.
- Lunch & Lobby- League of Women Voters: September 10, 2024, 12PM-1:30PM, 739A Steger
- Join us for a conversation with Marcia Futel and Mary Kate Genis from the League of Women Voters of Cincinnati Area as they share their experiences promoting voter engagement as a form of gender justice. Lunch is provided.
- 2024 Ohio Student Voting Summit: September 14, 2024, 10AM-4:30PM, TUC 400A, 400B, 400C
- This is a free professional development opportunity for students in Ohio who are interested in getting their peers ready for the November Presidential Election.
- National Voter Registration Day: September 17, 2024, 9:30AM-3:30PM, multiple locations
- Stop by one of our voter registration tables at Uptown Campus to check your voter registration status and register to vote.
- National Voter Registration Day at UC Blue Ash: September 17, 2024, 9AM-1PM outside of Bleecker St. Cafe in Muntz Hall.
- Stop by the table outside of Bleecker St. Café in Muntz Hall between 9am-1pm to check your voter registration status, register to vote, and request absentee ballots.
- Constitution Day, Citizenship Challenge: September 18, 2024, 10AM-2PM, UC MainStreet
- Stop by our table along UC MainStreet to test your constitutional knowledge and see if you would pass a naturalization test!
- Absentee Ballot Request Days: October 7, 12PM-4PM; October 8, 1:30PM-4:30PM; October 9, 9AM-1PM, UC MainStreet
- Stop by our table to check your voter registration status and request your mail-in ballot.
- Make a Voting Plan Days: October 14, 12PM-4PM; October 15, 1:30PM-4:30PM; October 16, 9AM-1PM, UC MainStreet
- Stop by our table to make a voting plan! Learn about voting early in-person, voting by mail, and voting in-person on Election Day. We will also share voter ID requirements for each voting method.
- What's On the Ballot Days: October 21, 12PM-4PM; October 22, 1:30PM-4:30PM; October 23, 9AM-1PM, UC MainStreet
- Stop by our table to access your sample ballot and to pick up a nonpartisan voting guide from the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area. We will also have an activity where you can learn about gerrymandering.
- Black Bearcats Vote: October 25, 12PM-1:30PM, AACRC main lounge
- Join us to learn about the importance of Black student voters this election season.
- "Why Are You Voting This November?" Days: October 28, 12PM-4PM; October 29, 1:30PM-4:30PM; October 30, 9AM-1PM, UC MainStreet
- Stop by our table to check your voter registration status, find out what will be on your ballot, and to tell us why you are voting in the Presidential Election.
- Vote Early Day: October 29, 2024, 4PM-6PM, Hamilton County Board of Elections
- UC students are invited to vote early together at the Hamilton County Board of Elections at 4PM. Transportation from University Circle will be provided. RSVPs are required.
UC Votes Presentation Request Form
UC Votes student workers are happy to stop by club meetings, events, and classes for voter registration drives, absentee ballot request application drives, and nonpartisan voter education presentations. These usually take 10-15 minutes. Requests are filled according to our student workers' availability. Please click on the button below to request a UC Votes presentation.
Become Ballot-Ready
Visit uc.turbovote.org or the Ohio Secretary of State's website to check your voter registration status. If you are already registered to vote, by looking up your voter registration status, you can also identify your polling location if you wish to vote in-person on Election Day.
Register to Vote
Registering to vote with your home address:
- Visit uc.turbovote.org to register to vote online for almost any state!
- In order to register to vote online, you will likely need the last 4 digits of your social security number or your state ID number.
- Note that in Ohio, in order to register to vote online, your voter registration address must match the address on your Ohio state ID. If you do not have a state of Ohio ID, you won't be able to register to vote online. In this scenario, you would need to complete a paper voter registration card.
- You canprint out a PDF version of Ohio's voter registration card online.
- Use a pen while completing your voter registration card. Make sure for question 8 you mark down the county you live in (do not write USA), for question 10 include the last 4 digits of your social security number OR your Ohio state ID number, and make sure you write in today's date above your signature (and not your birthday).
- Once you complete your voter registration card, you can mail it to or drop it off at your county's Board of Elections.
Registering to vote with your campus address:
- According to Ohio law, you may register to vote with your campus address if you presently intend to return to the university following a significant break like winter break or summer break.
- Full instructions on how to register to vote with a campus address can be found via our Voting With A Campus Address page.
Voting Methods
There are 3 voting options in Ohio:
- Voting early in-person: This voting method could be useful if you don't plan on having time to vote in-person on Election Day. Note that you must provide a valid form of ID in order to vote early in-person. In Ohio, voting early in-person usually occurs at your county's Board of Elections a month prior to the election. Ohio voters can view the early voting schedule on the Ohio Secretary of State's website.
- Voting by mail: This voting method could be useful if you do not have access to a valid state of Ohio ID or a U.S. passport because it only requires you to document the last 4 digits of your social security number. Ohio voters can complete, print and sign the Absentee Ballot Application form and return it by mail or in person to your local Board of Elections office. If you live in a campus housing facility, use our "Voting Addresses for Campus Housing Facilities" page to identify your facility's physical address and mailing address. Voters must purchase their own stamps for their voted ballots; you will need one stamp per page of ballot. You can buy stamps and drop off your completed ballot at the Corryville Post office at 2917 Short Vine, Cincinnati, OH 45219. You can also now purchase stamps at the checkout counter on the 3rd floor of the UC Bookstore in TUC. See the "General Election Key Dates" information above for deadlines related to voting by mail.
- Voting on Election Day: This voting method could be useful if you plan on having enough time to vote in-person on Election Day and if you have a valid form of ID. Polls in Ohio are open from 6:30AM-7:30PM on Election Day. Before you go to your polling location to vote on Election Day, confirm both your voter registration using TurboVote and your polling location using Vote.org. Note that you can also sign up to receive election reminders using TurboVote.
Transportation to the Polls
The Greater Cincinnati Voter Collaborative is providing free rides to the polls during the early voting period and on election day.
Voter Identification
Voter ID for Students:
You will need to bring your voter identification with you if you vote early in-person or if you vote in-person on Election Day.
The following are acceptable voter IDs in Ohio:
- Unexpired Ohio driver's license: commercial, motorcycle, probationary, interim, temporary, or restricted
- Unexpired Ohio issued ID card-- will be issued by the state for free**
- US military ID card
- Ohio issued National Guard ID card
- US issued Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
- Unexpired US passport or passport card
Note that the address on one of the acceptable voter IDs listed above do not need to match the voter's registration address.
** Beginning April 7, 2023, the Ohio BMV will issue State of Ohio ID Cards for FREE to anyone 17 or older who does not have a driver's license. This is particularly important for students who wish to register to vote using their on-campus address. Note that out of state students who are registered to vote in Ohio who get a free Ohio ID will have their home state license revoked. Out of state students who register to vote in Ohio can vote by mail with the last four digits of their social security number or in person with a passport. VoteRiders, a nonpartisan nonprofit, will help anyone get a free ID.
More information about voter ID rules can be found via the Ohio Secretary of State's website or by using the National Conference of State Legislatures' website.
Nonpartisan Voter Guides:
- The League of Women Voters of Cincinnati Area offers a comprehensive nonpartisan voter guide for Hamilton County for most elections. You can use this to learn more about the candidates and issues on the ballot. This voter guide is usually published at the beginning of October.
- Guides.vote has nonpartisan voter guides on US President, US Vice President, Ohio US Senate, Ohio State Supreme Court races
Sample Ballots:
- VOTE411.org has served tens of millions of voters. By entering one’s home address on VOTE411.org, voters can see ballot questions they will be voting on.
- Hamilton County, Ohio residents can view their sample ballots via the Hamilton County Board of Elections.
Disinformation:
- "Voting Fact or Fiction" : Educate yourself against common voting disinformation techniques.
- Detecting Disinformation: A two page guide on how to detect disinformation online.
Know Your Rights:
- Check out our Lines and Voting resource to learn about what to do if you experience issues while voting.
Self-Care:
- Review our "Election Self-Care Tips" sheet to learn about ways to care for yourself while you maintain your political involvement.
Now that you checked your voter registration status, registered to vote, selected your voting method/ voter ID, and educated yourself on what will be on your ballot, you are ready to vote!
The University of Cincinnati has a reading day scheduled on federal election days, which means there are no classes on federal election days for undergraduate students!
Tips for voting on Election Day:
- It is a good idea to bring anything you might need while you wait in line (water, snacks, etc.).
- You may have to wait in line to vote. If you are in line to vote at 7:30PM (Ohio), do NOT leave the line! You have the right to stay in line as long as you need to.
- If you do not have an acceptable form of voter ID or if they aren't able to find you in their system, know that you have a constitutional right to fill out a provisional ballot. Your provisional ballot will count if the Board of Elections verifies your OH driver's license or state ID number or the last 4 digits of your social security number. Do not leave without filling out a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots must be cured with the county's Board of Elections by the 4th day after an election.
- If you experience issues while voting, or if you need voting information, consider calling the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE (English), 1-888-Ve-Y-Vota (Spanish), 1-844-YALLA-US (Arabic), 1-888-API-VOTE (Asian & Pacific Islander languages).
Transportation to the Polls:
The Greater Cincinnati Voter Collaborative is providing free rides to the polls on Election Day.
Contact Your Representatives:
- Did you know that fewer than 1/10 Ohioans contact their elected representatives in any given year? Learn how to contact your representatives using our "How to Find & Contact Your Representatives" guide.
Peacefully Protest:
- It is very important to understand how to safely protest/ participate in a demonstration. Use our "How to Safely Protest" guide to learn more.
Faculty & Staff Resources
- Getting Ready for the Presidential Election presentation: Faculty and staff can use this presentation to help their students become ballot-ready this fall.
- Civil Dialogue and the Election presentation: Learn how to facilitate an in-class dialogue on the election after the Presidential Election takes place this November.
- Voting & Athletics: Includes play-by-play instructions on how to make sure your athletes are ready to vote this fall.
- TurboVote flyer: Students can scan the QR code included in this flyer to visit uc.turbovote.org. This can be printed and hung up in your office.
- Sample voter registration email: You can use this email template to send out a voter registration email to your students. To download the email template, right click the link, click on 'save link as', and save to your desktop.
- Sample syllabus language for voting: Copy/ paste this content into your syllabus to help your students become ballot ready.
- UC Votes Presentation Request Form: Fill out this form to request a UC Votes representative to stop by your class or student org meeting for presentations on voter registration, absentee voting, how to become ballot ready, and what's on the ballot.
- Keep in mind that you should not offer extra credit to students in exchange for registering to vote or in exchange for voting. That said, you may offer extra credit for students who check their voter registration status using TurboVote.
Questions? Contact:
Keith Lanser
Assistant Director, Center for Community Engagement
2639 Clifton Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45221