Ohio 2026 Voting Guide: Register, Vote Early, Vote by Mail and Know What to Bring

The dates that actually matter

1. September 18

   Military and overseas absentee voting begins

2. October 5

   Voter-registration deadline

   Last day to register for the November election. Boards of elections and the Ohio Secretary of State’s office are open until 9 p.m.

3. October 6

   Early voting and vote-by-mail begin

   Early in-person voting starts. Counties also begin mailing absentee ballots.

4. October 27

   Last day to request an absentee ballot

   Your county board of elections must receive your absentee-ballot application by 8:30 p.m.

5. November 1

   Early voting ends

   The final early-voting window is Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

6. November 3

   Election Day

   Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Ordinary absentee ballots must also be received by the board of elections by 7:30 p.m.

1. Check your registration before you do anything else

First move: check your registration. Do not assume everything is current because you voted before. If you moved, changed your address or simply have not checked in a while, verify it now — before the October 5 deadline.

Ohio’s online system lets eligible voters register or update their voter-registration information. The state also provides a paper option if you cannot use the online system.

2. Want to vote early? Here is your window

If you already know November 3 is going to be a long day, Ohio gives you weeks to get this handled early. Early in-person voting starts October 6 and runs through Sunday, November 1. The hours expand as Election Day gets closer.

• October 6–9: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
• October 12–16: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
• October 19–23: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
• Saturday, October 24: 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
• Monday, October 26: 7:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 27: 7:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.
• October 28–30: 7:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, October 31: 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
• Sunday, November 1: 1 p.m.–5 p.m.

Franklin County: save this address

Franklin County Kinfolk: this is the place. Early in-person voting is at the Board of Elections on Morse Road — not your Election Day neighborhood polling place.

3. Voting by mail? The deadline changed

You do not need a reason to vote absentee in Ohio. But you do need to request the ballot, complete it and get it back on time. Those are three separate steps, and the last one is where the 2026 rule matters.

The deadline for your board of elections to receive an absentee-ballot application is October 27 at 8:30 p.m. That is the legal deadline to request one. It is not a smart deadline to wait for. If vote-by-mail is your plan, request it and return it early.

4. Know what ID actually counts

Do not get all the way to the voting location and find out the card in your wallet is not one Ohio accepts. For early in-person voting and Election Day, Ohio requires valid, unexpired photo identification with your name and photograph.

• Ohio driver license, State of Ohio ID card, or interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV
• U.S. passport or U.S. passport card
• U.S. military ID card or U.S. military dependent ID card
• Ohio National Guard ID card
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card

An Ohio driver license or state ID can show an old address and still be accepted if your current address is in the pollbook. A utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, Social Security card, birth certificate or out-of-state driver license does not replace the photo ID Ohio requires for in-person voting.

No accepted photo ID? You can still be given a provisional ballot. To have it counted, you generally must present an accepted ID to your county board of elections within four days after Election Day. Ohio also provides an exception process for voters with a religious objection to being photographed.

5. Election Day: know where you are going

Voting on November 3? Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. On Election Day, you vote at the polling place assigned to your current precinct. That location can change, so look it up before you leave home.

6. Pull your sample ballot before you vote

Your ballot is not everybody else’s ballot. It changes based on where you live. Pull your sample ballot before you vote so the first time you see the names and questions in front of you is not inside the voting booth.

Kin’s 2026 election coverage

This page handles the how. Kin’s election reporting will handle the what it means: candidate records, public offices, ballot questions, voting access, public money and results as that reporting is published.