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UpdateOhioTuesday, October 27, 2026

Ohio early voters shifted toward in-person voting over mail in 2026

This update covers a change in how early voters in Ohio chose to cast their ballots ahead of the 2026 election.

Reporting by
Toledo Blade
“Ohio’s early voters continue shift toward in-person voting over mail”, Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Read the full story
What happened

Early voters in Ohio increasingly chose in-person voting over mail ballots ahead of the 2026 election. As of Tuesday, nearly 700,000 Ohioans had voted in person while just over 491,000 mail ballots had been returned out of 726,754 issued. During the 2022 gubernatorial race, only 265,000 in-person early voters cast ballots and more than 977,000 mail ballots were issued.1

Secretary of State Frank LaRose credited rising comfort with early in-person voting and said Senate Bill 293, which requires mail ballots to arrive by Election Day, has reduced procrastination.1

nearly 700,000
Ohioans who had voted in person as of Tuesday1
491,000
mail ballots returned out of 726,754 issued1
265,000
in-person early voters in the 2022 gubernatorial race1
What it means in Ohio

What Ohio's mail ballot rules are

Absentee ballots must be received by the board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.2 Early voting ran from Tuesday October 6 until 5 p.m. on Sunday November 1, 2026.3

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. Tue, Nov 3 · 6 days
    Election Day; Mail ballots must arrive
  5. Tue, Nov 24 · 27 days
    County/Local certification

Every date in Ohio, and who certifies the election

More on this story
Ohio · Oct 21
Ohio early in-person voting hours expanded to include weekends
Reporting by The Columbus Dispatch
The answers behind this
Mail and early votingVoting 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. Toledo Blade, https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi0wFBVV95cUxOYk5WYzRtWG5veWt5dzlJRzJjLU5QdFVTOWw3cUlrTGFFLXhXd2lOaTJhajE1NUEyWlFaWWdETkNPbnlHcTBCVmNUNkNIQ2M2N2Y2cTNrWFg3aFczeWJzQlA0RWU0cExJeWN5ekFidGl1RjdRNkE2aVZlSWRmS0pHQlEtUVNGVWoxaVVOd2Y2VEkxYk1iM2NoVnhmaHFzMnpQOXhNOTBmM0pHVk1KeEpoV3JsM2loeC1tMzZxYUI5MTltYUhlTGN5QUUxT0k3Q2Z2R3Iw?oc=5 · Tuesday, October 27, 2026
  2. Vote.org, Ohio Election Center, https://www.vote.org/state/ohio/
  3. US Vote Foundation, Ohio Election Dates and Deadlines, https://www.usvotefoundation.org/ohio-election-dates-and-deadlines

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