Lorain County, Ohio (WJW) – Paul Adams, the Director of Elections for Lorain County, said free time is hard to come by in the days leading up to election season.

“We are jumping right into election mode in a full county election, so we are getting pretty busy,” shared Adams. 

When Ohio’s early voting begins Tuesday, a new identification rule begins.

The man in charge of Lorain’s upcoming elections thinks it’s crucial to spend precious time educating people on this new rule now, to avoid headaches later. 

“The people that vote in an off-year primary are the “professional voters.” They know what the rules are, they know we have two elections a year. Where we are going to run into problems is next year,” explained Adams. 

Starting April 4th, any person who shows up to vote will have to bring a photo ID with them.

In the past, voters were able to use forms of id that didn’t have their picture on them like bank statements, government checks, or some kind of utility bill.

Those days are over.

“Here shortly, state IDs are going to be free with your local driver’s bureau. That was part of this legislation,” added Adams. 

Mike West, who is a Cuyahoga Board of Elections Official, said there is one new method of ID people can now use: Your passport. 

West and Adams think there might be some issues that come with this new ID rule.

However, both think the primary is a good way to break it in.

“This is more like the minor leagues, people looking to move into the majors this year,” said Adams.

More on Ohio early voting here.