Below are three ways Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is recommending you can step into public service this week, even with COVID-19. 

1) Be a Poll Worker

Every election day, over 35,000 Ohioans serve as poll workers.  A majority of poll workers are patriotic senior citizens and with concerns about the exposure of vulnerable populations to Coronavirus/COVID-19, now is the time to step up and defend democracy by serving as a poll worker next Tuesday, March 17th. Talk to your employer, learn more and sign up here. By exercising best practices from the Ohio Department of Health, polling locations and voting machines will be clean, but we need the people necessary to run a safe and secure election.

2) Vote by Mail or Vote Early

If you haven’t already, please consider requesting your absentee ballot today or going to your county’s early voting center. Request an absentee ballot from your county board of elections by tomorrow, Saturday, then postmark the completed ballot by Monday, March 16th, or drop it off curbside at the county board of elections on Tuesday, March 17th. Every valid absentee ballot is counted just like a vote cast at the polling location on election day.

3) Don’t Sit This Election Out

As some polling locations that were in senior living centers are relocated, visit VoteOhio.gov/CoronaFacts to find your polling place and review best practices for a healthy voting experience.

Unlike large events like a concert or baseball game, election day polling locations are spaces where neighbors who live in the same community come together to spend just a few minutes. In partnership with the Ohio Department of Health, Ohio’s 88 boards of elections will take every step to make voting a safe, secure, and accessible experience for every eligible Ohioan.