Description

I carry an out-of-state driver's license (I'm here for college) but am registered to vote at my current Ohio address. I have voted at this address since 2007 without an issue. Today a poll worker initially refused to accept my payroll stub (from a public university, none the less, which covers two requirements for ID!) as proper ID, even though I told her it was on the list of accepted forms of ID. She insisted on seeing my driver's license and I told her it was from out of state. She said I couldn't vote in Ohio with an out-of-state license. I told her that I was here for college and that I had voted here several times in the past. She then told another poll worker to look me up and verify that I was in the book of registered voters. My name and signature were in there. The poll worker shook her head and mumbled something about "not supposed to do this" but did give me an access card for the voting machine. I was very upset by the situation and also very glad that I had verified the identification requirements before going to the poll so that I knew I was in the right. You do not have to have a photo ID to vote so long as you are able to provide one of the approved documents (payroll stubs and government letters, such as from a public college, are on the list) to verify your address. Without this research, I may not have been allowed to vote due to an uninformed poll worker.