Recent elections have illustrated that every voice counts. This November, Ohio citizens should be aware of the changes made to absentee ballot registration and ID requirements to ensure their vote carries through.

The Ohio Legislature passed a bill to make it easier for people to cast absentee ballots, and a second bill to ensure no one is using a fake name on Election Day. Before the bills passed, voters could only request absentee ballots under special circumstances and did not need to present any form of identification at the polls. Now, anyone can send in their ballot by mail as long as they request it correctly.

'This was prompted as a way to promote voting,' said Susan Byerly, director of voter services with the League of Women Voters in the Greater Dayton Area. 'If people find getting to the polls to be too hard, they can always turn in a written paper.'

Individuals must request their absentee ballots from their County Board of Elections by Oct. 10. They need to have registered to vote and apply by hand. Request forms are available in public libraries'not on campus'and at http://www.mcboe.org for Montgomery County. If individuals provide their name, current address, date of birth, signature and the date of the elections, a formal form is not required.

One of the following types of identification must also be included with the request: the last four digits of the person's social security number, their Ohio driver's license number, a copy of any current government-issued photo ID or check, a bank statement or a copy of a current utility bill.

'If a student is living in the Ghetto and has their gas bill, they can send that in,' said Betty Smith, deputy director of the Montgomery County Board of Elections. 'But if there are five other guys' names on that, they need to indicate which one they are.'

An individual's County Board of Elections must receive the absentee request form by noon the third day before the election. In the case of the upcoming Nov. 7 election, the form needs to be in by Nov. 4. This is intended to give the voter enough time to receive a ballot and return it.

'The US Postal Service does a great job of trying to get mail to the voters in time,' Smith said. 'But there is a reason it's called 'snail mail.' I advise the voters to send in their requests early so there's extra time for the ballots to reach them.'

If applying for an absentee ballot, a person cannot also vote at the polls or turn in the ballot there. The voter, or a relative, must mail it or take it to the Board of Elections in their area. Absentee ballots are accepted until the close of polls on Election Day.

Ohio citizens who choose to vote on location need to remember new rules, too. Byerly reminds college students to bring government-issued identification with them to the polls as verification. School-issued IDs do not count.

Acceptable identification is the same as for those who request absentee ballots. The name and address on the identification must conform to the one in the poll books, with the exception of an unexpired driver's license.

These two new laws fit an Ohio college student living away from home well. If the student pays attention to the date and proper types of identification, voting in the Nov. 7 general election is only a form away.