Ohio 2026 elections

Contests on the board in Ohio

The general-election contests the Ledger tracks in Ohio, each with the raters' current call, the newest public polling and the money reported.

Candidate profiles from Ohio

OH-9 · Ohio

Derek Merrin

Former Ohio House member (2016–2024), Ways and Means chairman, 2024 nominee against Marcy Kaptur and the 2026 Republican nominee for Ohio’s 9th District.

Read Derek Merrin's recordThe race

OH-SEN (special) · Ohio

Jon Husted

Appointed U.S. senator from Ohio and former lieutenant governor, secretary of state and House speaker; the Republican nominee in the 2026 special election.

Read Jon Husted's recordThe race

Key dates and deadlines

Read from the Ohio Secretary of State on Sep 17, 2026. The authority's own page, linked beside each date, is the final word — confirm it before you act.

• Voter registration deadlineMonday, October 5, 2026, for the November 3, 2026 general election. A registration form (a new registration, or a change of name or address) must be postmarked or received by October 5, 2026. Ways to register: online through the Secretary of State's online voter registration system (olvr.ohiosos.gov); by mail; or in person at your county board of elections or at another registration site such as a Bureau of Motor Vehicles office or a public library. boe.ohio.gov
• Registration deadline — by mailPostmarked no later than Monday, October 5, 2026, when the form is mailed to your county board of elections or to the Secretary of State's office. boe.ohio.gov
• Registration deadline — in personReceived no later than Monday, October 5, 2026, when the form is handed in rather than mailed. The county boards of elections that print their hours for that day stay open late: Montgomery County, “office open until 9:00 p.m.”; Summit County, “Our office is open until 9 PM on that date.” boe.ohio.gov
• Absentee (mail) ballots start going outTuesday, October 6, 2026, the day after registration closes. The Summit County board's 2026 calendar says absentee ballots “must be ready” that day, and the Hamilton County board says it starts mailing absentee ballots on October 6, 2026. boe.ohio.gov
• Early in-person voting beginsTuesday, October 6, 2026, at 8:00 a.m., at your county board of elections (each board prints the address of its early voting center). The Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Franklin and Summit county boards of elections print the same schedule: October 6–9 (Tuesday–Friday), 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; October 12–16 (Monday–Friday), 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; October 19–23 (Monday–Friday), 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday, October 24, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Monday, October 26, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, October 27, 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Wednesday, October 28 to Friday, October 30, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 31, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Sunday, November 1, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. boe.ohio.gov
• Early in-person voting endsSunday, November 1, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Franklin County board's schedule calls it the “Final Day of Early Voting,” and the Summit County board says the last day for in-person absentee voting is the Sunday before Election Day at 5:00 p.m. The schedules printed by the county boards list no early voting hours for Monday, November 2, 2026. vote.franklincountyohio.gov
• Deadline to request an absentee (mail) ballotTuesday, October 27, 2026: your county board of elections must RECEIVE your absentee ballot application by the close of business that day, the seventh day before Election Day. County boards print the closing time as 8:30 p.m.: Hamilton County, “until 8:30 pm on October 27th”; Lorain County, “Tuesday, October 27 by 8:30 P.M.” The application must be mailed or delivered in person; the Summit and Greene county boards say faxed or e-mailed requests from domestic voters are not accepted. votehamiltoncountyohio.gov
• Deadline to return an absentee (mail) ballotTuesday, November 3, 2026, 7:30 p.m. — the ballot must be RECEIVED by your county board of elections by then; this is a received-by deadline, not a postmark deadline. The Secretary of State's absentee application (Form 11-A, 06/2026) says: “Ohio law requires all absentee ballots to be received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day,” whether the ballot comes back by mail, in the drop box located at your county board of elections, or in person at the board office. Exception printed on the same form: ballots from members of the uniformed services and from voters outside the United States must be received by the fourth day after the election. boe.ohio.gov
• Election DayTuesday, November 3, 2026 — general election. boe.ohio.gov
• Polling place hours on Election Day6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. vote.franklincountyohio.gov

Official voting tools

These links go to the state's own tools. The Ledger does not collect registrations or ballots.

Rules to know

• What to bring

  Ohio requires photo identification to vote in person, both during early in-person voting and on Election Day. The ID must not be expired and must show your name and photograph. Accepted: an Ohio driver's license, state ID card or interim ID form issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles; a U.S. passport or passport card; or a U.S. military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID card or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card. The Hamilton and Butler county boards also list a U.S. military dependent ID card. If you do not have or cannot show photo ID, you may vote a provisional ballot; for it to be counted you must go to your county board of elections within four days after Election Day and show photo ID. Voting by mail works differently: the absentee ballot application asks for the last four digits of your Social Security number, your Ohio driver's license or state ID card number, or a copy of your photo ID. Read from: vote.franklincountyohio.gov

• Voting by mail (absentee)

  Any registered Ohio voter may vote absentee by mail; the Greene County board notes that voters no longer have to state a reason. Ask for a ballot with the Absentee Ballot Application (Form 11-A, prescribed by the Secretary of State), or call your county board of elections and ask it to mail you an application. The application must include ONE of these: the last four digits of your Social Security number; your Ohio driver's license or state ID card number; or a copy of a current photo ID (front and back; for a passport, the identification page). Mail it or hand it in to your county board of elections so that the board RECEIVES it by the close of business on Tuesday, October 27, 2026; the Summit and Greene county boards say faxed or e-mailed requests from domestic voters are not accepted. Return your voted ballot so that the board RECEIVES it by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026: by mail with postage affixed (the form says to mail it as soon as possible), in the drop box located at your county board of elections, or in person at the board office. Only you or a near relative may deliver your ballot; a voter with a disability may choose anyone other than their employer or an officer of their union, and whoever delivers a ballot for someone else must complete an attestation form (Form 12-P) at the board office. Do not take an absentee ballot to your Election Day polling place: the Summit County board says ballots left there will not be counted. If you were mailed an absentee ballot and decide to vote at your polling place on Election Day instead, you will have to vote a provisional ballot. Read from: boe.ohio.gov

• Early in-person voting

  Ohio's early voting is in-person absentee voting: from Tuesday, October 6 to Sunday, November 1, 2026 you can vote in person at your own county's early voting center, which in the counties read is the county board of elections office (the Hamilton County board says early in-person voting takes place “ONLY at the Board of Elections”). The days and hours are listed above under “Early in-person voting begins”; the Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Franklin and Summit county boards print the identical schedule, which includes two Saturdays and one Sunday and no hours on Monday, November 2, 2026. Bring photo ID: the Franklin County board lists the same identification requirements for early in-person voting and for Election Day. Read from: vote.franklincountyohio.gov

• Track your absentee ballot

  The Secretary of State's absentee application (Form 11-A) says: “You can track your request and your ballot online at VoteOhio.gov/Track.” County boards of elections also post their own trackers, for example “Track your Absentee Ballot” (Summit County), “Absentee Request Status” (Greene County) and “Track the status of your mail-in ballot” (Franklin County). Read from: boe.ohio.gov

On the statewide ballot

Offices on the November 3, 2026 statewide ballot, per the Ohio Secretary of State:

U.S. Senate (unexpired term ending January 3, 2029) · Governor and Lieutenant Governor · Attorney General · Auditor of State · Secretary of State · Treasurer of State · Justice of the Supreme Court (two seats)

Questions and answers