How to vote · 2026
Ohio
Any voter can request a mail ballot
Every date below comes from the Ohio election office and links to the page that states it. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Dates and rules
Registration, mail ballots, and early voting
Registration deadlineOctober 5, 2026Register online, in person, or by mail (postmarked) by Oct. 5, 2026 (30 days before). No same-day registration.
Mail-ballot request deadlineOctober 27, 2026
Mail ballots first sentOctober 6, 2026Absentee ballots are mailed to applicants starting Oct. 6, 2026 (the day after the registration deadline; ORC 3509.01), the same day early voting begins; UOCAVA ballots go out from Sept. 18. Applications must be received by close of business Oct. 27 (7 days out).
Return ruleMust be received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day (4-day postmark grace period eliminated in 2025)
Early in-person votingOctober 6, 2026through November 1, 2026 · In-person early voting at county board offices Oct. 6-Nov. 1, 2026, including the final weekend.
Official OH election site ↗Dates last verified against the official site September 1, 2026.Sources: [1] Ohio SOS: absentee mailing/early voting begin Oct. 6, 2026; request deadline Oct. 27; received-by-7:30 p.m. Election Day rule[2] USA.gov directory of official state election offices[3] Mail voting Oct. 6-Nov. 3, 2026[4] CEIR 2026 voter registration deadlines (June 25, 2026 dataset; per-mode deadlines and same-day registration windows)[5] NCSL Table 5: statutory absentee ballot application deadline[6] NCSL Table 11 (updated Dec. 2025): ballot receipt/postmark deadline
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The full table of mail-ballot send dates, registration deadlines, and early-voting windows for all fifty states and DC, plus the documented record of government actions on mail voting this cycle.
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