The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library will accept voter registration forms at all 41 locations through Monday, Oct. 5.
That includes the Blue Ash branch at 4911 Cooper Rd. Staff at any location can help residents check their registration status and fill out mail-in ballot applications, according to a voter-readiness guide the library published Thursday, Sept. 3. The Oct. 5 date is the last day to register for the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election.
The library is also hosting a voter registration event at the Downtown Main Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15. Volunteers from the Greater Cincinnati Voter Collaborative (GCVC), a nonpartisan group that connects voters with registration support and educational resources, will join library staff.
"With so much at stake at every level of government … make a plan and get vote ready!" Rae Vuic, the library's government relations coordinator, wrote in the guide.
What's on the ballot
The Nov. 3 ballot includes several items affecting Montgomery, Blue Ash and Sycamore Township residents.
The Sycamore Board of Education has placed a combined 6.95-mill property tax levy on the ballot, with 5.00 mills for operating expenses and 1.95 mills for permanent improvements, according to the district's FAQ page. The last operating levy passed in 2016. The district serves students at Blue Ash Elementary, Montgomery Elementary, Symmes Elementary, Maple Dale Elementary, E.H. Greene Intermediate, Sycamore Junior High and Sycamore High School.
Countywide, Hamilton County commissioners voted Aug. 3 to place an increased children's services levy on the ballot. The 5.61-mill levy would cost homeowners about $121 per $100,000 of home value, up from roughly $81 under the current levy, WCPO reported. The current levy generates about $81 million a year and expires at the end of 2026. Last year, it helped more than 13,000 children through programs including abuse and neglect investigations, family reunification and foster care support.
Hamilton County Commission President Denise Driehaus called keeping children safe a moral obligation for the community when commissioners approved the ballot measure in August, according to Fox 19.
Ohio Issue 3, a constitutional amendment that would enshrine the state's existing photo-ID requirement for in-person voting, is also on the ballot. Ohio has required photo ID to vote in person since 2023. Approving Issue 3 would make that requirement harder to change in the future, according to Signal Ohio.
Key dates
- Monday, Oct. 5: Voter registration deadline. Library locations accept forms until close of business.
- Tuesday, Oct. 6: Early voting begins by mail and in person at the Board of Elections.
- Week of Oct. 2: League of Women Voters' Voter Guide available at library locations and at vote411.org.
- Monday, Oct. 26: Last day the library accepts mail-in ballot applications.
- Tuesday, Oct. 27, 8:30 p.m.: Board of Elections deadline to receive mail-in ballot applications.
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 6:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.: Election Day. Mail-in ballots must reach the Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. No grace period for late ballots, except for military or overseas voters.
Residents can check their registration at votehamiltoncountyohio.gov or by calling the Board of Elections at (513) 946-8500. The Blue Ash branch can be reached at (513) 369-6051.
