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UpdateOhioWednesday, November 4, 2026

Lucas County was last Ohio county to report 2026 results

By the Democracy SENTRY deskPublished

Reporting by
Akron Beacon Journal
“Why are Lucas Co. election results not out? Marcy Kaptur explains why”, Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Read the full story
What happened

Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur won a 23rd term in Ohio's 9th Congressional District, defeating Republican Derek Merrin 53% to 47% in a rematch of their 2024 race. Lucas County was the last of Ohio's 88 counties to report results because election officials received absentee ballots late and were required to count then recount them. Kaptur attributed the delay to Secretary of State Frank LaRose and a new state law eliminating a four-day grace period for mail-in ballots.1

88 counties
counties in Ohio1
53% to 47%
Kaptur's margin over Merrin1
fewer than 2,400 votes
Kaptur's 2024 margin1
What it means in Ohio

What Ohio law says about counting absentee ballots

Absentee ballots must be received by the board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.2 County boards canvass no later than the 21st day after the election, November 24.3 A recount is automatic when the margin is one half of one percent or less, or one quarter of one percent or less for a statewide race, and it must take place within 10 days after it is declared.4

Key dates in Ohio

Election Day in -6 days
  1. Mon, Oct 5 · passed
    Registration deadline
  2. Tue, Oct 6 · passed
    Early voting begins
  3. Tue, Oct 27 · passed
    Last day for mail ballot applications
  4. Sun, Nov 1 · passed
    Early voting ends
  5. Tue, Nov 3 · passed
    Election Day; Mail ballots must arrive

Every date in Ohio, and who certifies the election

More on this story
Ohio · Nov 9
Lucas County, Ohio, blamed new state rules for delayed results
Reporting by Toledo Blade
Ohio · Nov 4
Ohio election officials explained recount and challenge procedures
Reporting by NBC4 WCMH-TV
The answers behind this
How votes are counted and made officialVoting in Ohio, 2026Who certifies the election in Ohio, and by when?When does a mail ballot have to arrive to count?

Explore this issue

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Sources

  1. Akron Beacon Journal, https://eu.beaconjournal.com/story/news/politics/elections/national/2026/11/03/marcy-kaptur-longest-serving-woman-in-congress-derek-merrin-election-results/92464812007/ · Wednesday, November 4, 2026
  2. Vote.org, Ohio Election Center, https://www.vote.org/state/ohio/
  3. NCSL, Canvass Deadlines, https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/canvass-deadlines
  4. nass.org, https://www.nass.org/node/2455; https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1a500RuPokeDzM6vPaWIW1CjeLlCGioenYLbgBjsOL3Y/edit?gid=840308789#gid=840308789

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