Warren Scott DEADLINE NEARS — Robert Gale, director of the Jefferson County Board of Elections, reminds area residents that Monday is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 4 election.

STEUBENVILLE — It’s an off-year election, but that doesn’t mean the Nov. 4 ballot won’t be packed with important issues and races for voters to decide.

Everything from charter changes and levy renewals to city, village and township races will be on the 2025 general election ballot — and all of them can have far-reaching impacts on the lives of Jefferson County residents.

“Every resident of Jefferson County has a variety of different offices and levies to decide on in this upcoming election,” said Robert Gale, director of the Jefferson County Board of Elections. “While a lot of focus is always placed on our presidential and midterm elections, these races are equally as important, as they are for the offices that operate our local government, provide funding for our local services and much more.”

Voters can check the status of their voter registration at any time by visiting the Ohio Secretary of State’s Voter Information Website at voteohio.gov, Gale said, though time is running out to make necessary changes to ensure your voting-day experience goes smoothly: He said you have until 9 p.m. Monday to make sure you’re registered and your information is up to date.

That means if you haven’t registered to vote in Jefferson County, have moved anywhere within Jefferson County without updating your registration or have had a name change — think marriage divorce or other circumstances — you have a few more hours to fix it.

If you have an unexpired Ohio Driver’s License or an Ohio Identification Card, you can register to vote or update your registration at voteohio.gov, which is the official Ohio Secretary of State Online Registration System.

You can visit the Jefferson County Board of Elections, located in the Ohio Valley Tower building at 500 Market Street, Suite 1, Steubenville and take advantage of extended hours Monday until 9 p.m.

Or you can register with an agency of the Jefferson County Board of Elections that provides voter registration services such as any Ohio BMV Agency, the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County and the Jefferson County Department of Job and Family Services.

By law, voters who miss the deadline and who were not registered to vote elsewhere in Ohio prior to moving to Jefferson County will not be able to cast their ballot in the November general election.

“If they are an Ohio registered voter, they’ll be able to vote provisionally — they’ll get to cast their vote, then after the election is over (all of the provisional) ballots are reviewed to verify they are registered somewhere in Ohio and if they are valid provisional ballots, we count them, ” he said. “If they didn’t update their information as far as an address change, name change or moving from another county, they’ll vote provisionally. Their vote will count–it will not be included in the unofficial election night results on Nov. 4, but they will be counted in the official tabulations (if everything checks out.)”

If you miss the deadline and were never registered in Ohio to vote or voted in another state previously, there’s always next year.

“People may think they moved here from another state and don’t have to do anything, but you have to register in Ohio to have the right to vote,” Gale said.

“There are more than 100 candidates in 54 contests as well as 26 issues for residents from throughout Jefferson County to consider and cast their ballot for in November. Please take a moment to verify your registration and if needed, register or update your current registration by the deadline,” he added.

Early voting will begin Tuesday, officials added.