It’s mid-July. Halloween costumes will start showing up in Targets and Walmarts any day now. The Christmas decorations will follow soon after. Within a decade, the NBA will play from October through August. Seasons mean nothing anymore. So please forgive us for interrupting your summer with suggestions for the November election. We don’t make the rules.

Voting in Ohio can be a journey. And the sooner you start, the more likely your vote will be counted in the 2024 election.

First, see if you’re on the purge list

Officially it’s called the “Registration Readiness Roster,” but it means the same thing. It’s the list of almost 159,000 Ohioans — including 14,000 in Cuyahoga County — to be removed from voter rolls by July 22, either because they’ve moved or haven’t voted in at least four years.

You can check online to see if your name appears on the list.

If you’re on the list (or have moved since last time you voted)

The easiest thing to do is update your registration or re-register. You can do that online with the number from your Ohio driver’s license or Ohio identification card and the last four digits of your Social Security number. (Ohio ID cards are available for free from the BMV.)

You can also register for the first time at the same link.

If you want to keep it old school, you can call the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections at 216-443-8683 and ask to have a registration form mailed to you. Or can register in person at the BOE, 2925 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

If you’re already registered

You can print and complete an application to vote by mail (PDF), if that’s how you plan to participate this year. Or you can request an application through the mail.

You can also share this information with relatives, friends and neighbors to make sure they’re prepared for the voting journey. We’re all in this together.

🗳️For more on this year’s November election, visit our Election Signals 2024 page.