If you want to vote in November's election, time is running out to register to vote. Absentee voting began this week, and is available to anyone who wants to vote before the Nov. 8 election or is unable to vote on Election Day. But to cast a vote - either in person or absentee - you must be registered. Deadline for registration is Oct. 11.

You can register to vote in Ohio on the Secretary of State's website by downloading the voter registration form and mailing it to your county board of elections. For more information on eligibility and submission information, check out the voter registration information form.

You also can look up your voting information on the Secretary of State's website. Fill in the required fields to see your voting history and polling location information. You can learn a lot more about the voting process, eligibility and more on the Secretary of State's Voter Information page.

Additionally, the county boards of elections provide details about whether you are registered, where to cast your ballot, and what you'd be voting on. Visit the websites for the Lake County Board of Elections, Geauga County Board of Elections and Cuyahoga County Board of Elections for more information.

Not sure if you're going to vote in this year's election? Find out what's on the ballot. You can also read the ballot language, official explanation, and arguments for and against the three issues on the statewide ballot. That information is also available as a 60-page PDF titled State Ballot Issues Information for the November 8, 2011 General Election. If those documents are too much jargon for you, read the layman's terms version: An Associated Press article titled Ohio to decide 3 issues after heated fall campaign.

In addition to the statewide issues, several local issues and candidates are on the ballot. The News-Herald is publishing election previews of the contested races, so check back daily for more information on the candidates and different sides of the issues. You can also check out the election filings to see what issues and candidates made it onto the ballot in each municipality in Lake, Geauga and eastern Cuyahoga counties. Additionally, we have published the candidate questionnaires, which are forms we ask those running for office to fill out to give us and voters a better idea of what they would like to do if elected.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl