Early voting for Ohio's Primary Election begins April 4.

What You Need To Know

  • Beginning April 7, you can go to the Ohio BMV and receive a FREE state ID card. You must be at least 17-years-old

  • A state ID card is the primary, accepted form of photo ID for a person who does not hold any type of driver license or whose driver license is suspended

  • Your U.S. passport or passport card is an acceptable form of ID
  • An Ohio National Guard ID card, U.S. military ID card, and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card (with the voter's name and photograph) are all acceptable forms of ID

Given changes to the state's voter identification rules, Spectrum News 1 spoke with Hamilton County Board of Elections Director Sherry Poland for clarification. Poland is also the president of the Ohio Association of Election Officials.

"And what changed is that voters now have to have an acceptable photo ID when casting their ballot in person," Poland said.  "The most common is a state of Ohio driver's license; Also a state of Ohio ID card is acceptable for voting. If a voter doesn't have an acceptable form of ID they can obtain a state ID for free at their local Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and I believe that begins on April 7," she explained. 

For more details and the full interview, watch the video above.