Breadcrumb Navigation
Election Officials' Resources
Please note: all PDF forms and documents function optimally when downloaded to your computer and opened with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.
ADA Resources
On July 26, 1990 the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted. The Act provides standards to ensure that each polling location is handicapped accessible so those voters with disabilities are able to participate in the elections process just as easily as those voters without disabilities.
For more information please contact Brett Harbage, ADA Coordinator at (614) 387-6039 or [email protected].
State Policy for the Transfer/Disposal of Accessibility Equipment Paid for with HHS Funds
- Ohio Secretary of State Policy for Polling Place Accessibility Equipment Purchased with HHS Funds (PDF)
- Form 20-B HHS Polling Location Accessibility Equipment Agreement of Permanent Transfer (PDF)
- Form 20-A HHS Polling Location Accessibility Equipment Agreement of Temporary (Loan) Transfer (PDF)
- Form 20-C Disposal of Accessibility Equipment Purchased with HHS Funds (PDF)
Relevant Links
- Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
- United States Access Board
- United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
- American Association of People With Disabilities
- Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Text (PDF)
- The Election Assistance Commission
Election Administration Plans
As outlined in the Election Officials Manual, Chapter 15, boards of elections are required to develop and submit election administration plans (EAP) to the Secretary of State. Please see the template below that must be used for submission of the EAP. Deadlines for submission of the plan are sixty (60) days prior to a presidential primary election and one-hundred twenty (120) days before an even-numbered general election.
General Handbooks, Manuals, Guides & Instructions
- Election Official Manual (Updated 2/2022)
- Ohio Constitution (PDF)
- Ohio Ballot Questions & Issues Handbook (PDF Revised 1/2021)
- Guide to Local Options (Revised 11/2017)
- 2019 Candidate Requirement Guide (PDF)
- 2020 Candidate Requirement Guide (PDF)
- 2021 Candidate Requirement Guide (PDF)
- 2022 Candidate Requirement Guide (PDF)
- 2020 Presidential Guide (PDF)
- Ohio Election Calendar
- Ohio Secretary of State Retention Schedule Guide (PDF)
- Parliamentary Procedures Guide (PDF)
- Voter Registration Instructions (English)
- Voter Registration Form Instructions - Bilingual Version- Instrucciones Para el Registro de Votantes
- Beginning Terms for Offices (PDF)
- Filling Vacancies in Public Elective Offices (PDF)
- Ohio Secretary of State Ethics Policy (PDF)
- Security and Voter Education Toolkit
County Board of Elections Maps
The PDF files below contain visual representations of Ohio regions for Board of Elections officials. For assistance with these maps, please contact the ADA Coordinator.
SOS Identification Numbers Assigned to Counties (PDF)
- List of Identification Numbers Assigned to Counties (Excel)
- Centralized Voter Registration Map (PDF, Revised 4/2022)
- Voting Systems for Ohio's 88 Counties Map (PDF, Revised 4/2022)
- Electronic Pollbooks by County (PDF, Revised 4/2022)
- Remote Ballot Marking Systems (PDF, Revised 4/2022)
- Regional Liaisons Directory and Map (PDF, Revised 2/2022)
NVRA Information
The National Voter Registration Act was enacted by Congress in 1993. The goal of the Act was to enhance voting opportunities for all Americans by requiring the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and many public assistance agencies to offer voter registration simultaneously with other services. Specifically, citizens may register at all Bureau of Motor Vehicle locations when they apply for or renew a driver's license. Section 7 of the Act requires states to offer voter registration opportunities at offices that provide public assistance and state-funded programs engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities.
Citizens may register at "designated" agencies such as:
- Department of Job and Family Services
- Department of Health's Women, Infant & Children program
- Department of Mental Health
- Department of Developmental Disabilities
- Opportunities for Ohioans With Disabilities
- Public high schools
- Public vocational schools
- Public libraries
- County treasurers' offices
The Secretary of State works to ensure compliance with the requirements of the NVRA by supporting agencies by supplying important resources, training, and instructions on how to conduct voter registration. The information below will assist agencies and voters in understanding their rights and responsibilities under the NVRA.
- Voter Registration Instruction Manual: For Designated Agencies, Public Libraries, Public High Schools and Vocational Schools and Offices of County Treasurers
- Voter Registration at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles: An Instruction Manual for Deputy Registrars
- Voter Registration Instruction Manual: For the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and County Departments of Job and Family Services
- Voter Registration Notification Posters
- Voter Registration Form (or change of name or address)
- Absentee Voting / Vote by Mail