Voter information

How to Vote

  • Ohio Secretary of State: Registering to Vote
    Find forms necessary to register to vote in Ohio, to change a name or address, and to request an absentee ballot. All forms must be mailed to the county board of elections in the voter's county of residence. To be eligible to vote in the November 6, 2012 general election, a voter registration form must be postmarked no later than October 9, 2012.
  • Franklin County Board of Elections
    Find information on locations and times for early voting, also known as in-person absentee voting, and sample ballots as well as what a voter must bring to the polls on Election Day. Voters can look up their precinct location and check their registration to make sure their information is correct.
  • Delaware County Board of Elections
    Delaware County Board of Elections' website gives information on candidates and issues, absentee and voter registration, as well as what a voter must bring to the polls on Election Day. Voters can also look up their precinct location.

Where to Vote

Candidates and Issues

  • Candidates for General Election 2012
    This document from the Franklin County Board of Elections includes links to campaign websites, mailing addresses, and e-mail contact information for candidates running for countywide offices, judgeships, Ohio's General Assembly and many other local offices.
  • Certified Issues List for General Election 2012 (PDF)
    This document from the Franklin County Board of Elections lists all levies, bond issues and liquor options presented to voters across the county's various neighborhoods and jurisdictions. Please note that eligibility to vote on some issues depends on place of residence in the county.

Voter Guides

  • 2012 Ohio Voter Information Guide (PDF)
    This downloadable document from Ohio's Secretary of State provides detailed information about voter eligibility, registration, Election Day procedures and rules for absentee and provisional voting.
  • Voter Information Bulletin
    This bulletin from the League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Columbus lists information on candidates for countywide offices, judgeships, Ohio's General Assembly, U.S. Congress as well as two local issues. The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that works to inform voters of public policy issues.
  • Voters Guide
    From The Columbus Dispatch, this voter information guide uses an address to generate a list of ballot issues and candidates. It includes interactive features that allow users to compare candidates and issues side-by-side.

Other information on Candidates

  • Federal Elections Commission Searchable Database
    Provides detailed information about the contributions to and expenditures by candidates for federal offices as well as the money spent by national political parties, congressional campaign committees and other entities that attempt to influence the outcome of elections for federal offices.
  • Ohio Campaign Finance Searchable Database
    A searchable database of information from the Ohio Secretary of State about the contributions and expenditures by candidates for statewide and General Assembly offices, as well as the money collected and spent by state political parties, political action committees and legislative campaign committees.
  • Project Vote Smart
    A nonpartisan organization dedicated to voter education. Their website contains a plethora of information including information on candidates' voting records, biographical information, public statements and ratings by various interest groups. The website also includes information on state-wide ballot measures.

District Maps

  • Franklin County School Districts
    This map from the Franklin County Auditor shows the boundaries of various school districts in Franklin County. This can be helpful in determining which school district a voter lives in and thus if she or he is eligible to vote on issues concerning that school district. The Franklin County Auditor's website also allows you to identify your school and other tax districts by using the address search.
  • Ohio General Assembly Maps
    This website from the Ohio Secretary of State outlines the boundaries of U.S. Congressional Districts in Ohio as well as districts for the Ohio House and Senate, the Appeals Court, and the State School Board of Ohio.

Political Fact-Checking

As political messages proliferate, some news and nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations have created websites dedicated to verifying the accuracy of statements made in political advertisements, debates and public appearances. Additionally, fact-checking sites, such as the ones listed below, try to identify the missing context and sources for assertions made by the candidates or the organizations working on their behalf. Some sites score an ad or comment on a scale ranging from entirely true to totally false.

  • The Fact Checker
    The Fact Checker is written by Glenn Kessler and published by the Washington Post.
  • FactCheck.org
    FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
  • PolitiFact
    PolitiFact is a project of the Tampa Bay Times, owned by the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit school for journalism created by one of the Times' previous publishers to ensure the newspaper's independence.
  • Politifact Ohio
    Staff from the Cleveland Plain Dealer provides analysis of ads and comments by local and state politicians in this Ohio edition of PolitiFact, which also includes PolitiFact's national content.
  • Campaign 2012 Ad Watch
    A product of the privately-owned Columbus Dispatch, this site examines political advertisements broadcast in Central Ohio.

revised September 2012