2026 election

Voting in Ohio

Primary

Held

Tuesday, May 5

Early voting

April 7th – May 3rd

General

Tuesday, November 3

Early voting

October 6 – November 1

Register online by: October 5, 11:59pm
Register by mail by: October 5
Register in person by: October 5, 9pm
Request a mail ballot by: October 27, 8:30pm
Mailed ballot must arrive by: November 3, 7:30pm

See every race and candidate on your Ohio ballot, and where each one stands, before you vote.

Plan your ballot →

How to cast your ballot

By mail

Any registered voter may vote by mail — no reason needed.

Request a ballot Track your ballot The rules Where to drop it off

In person

Polls open on election day: 6:30am – 7:30pm
Or vote early: In the windows shown above

What counts as ID

You will need to show photo ID to vote in Ohio.

Acceptable forms include:

unexpired Ohio driver's license
Ohio state ID card
interim identification form issued by the registrar of motor vehicles
unexpired US passport or passport card
unexpired military ID
unexpired Ohio National Guard ID card
unexpired US Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
unexpired Ohio driver's license, state ID card, or Interim Documentation with your former address IS an ACCEPTABLE form of ID when your current address is in the pollbook

Voters without ID: If you do not provide photo ID at the precinct, you will still be able to vote using a provisional ballot. However, in order for that ballot to be counted, you must return to the board of elections no later than four days following Election Day to provide a qualifying form of photo identification.

For more information, please visit the Ohio Secretary of State's website.

Find your polling place Early voting

Before you can vote

Registering

Ways to register:

Who can register, and what you need

To register in Ohio you must:

be a United States citizen
be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days immediately before the election in which you want to vote
be at least 18 years old on or before the day of the next general election day (if you will be 18 on or before the day of the general election, you may vote in the primary election for candidates only, but you cannot vote on party central committees until you are 18)
not be incarcerated (in jail or in prison) for a felony conviction
not be found incompetent by a court for purposes of voting by a probate court
not be permanently disenfranchised for violations of election laws

Check if you are registered Register

Which primary can you vote in?

You are NOT required to register with a party to vote in Ohio partisan primary elections. However, if you vote in a partisan primary election, you will become affiliated with the party whose primary you participate in.

Also voted on May 5: Indiana.

Dates, deadlines and rules come from DemocracyWorks, last refreshed August 27, 2026; poll hours from our own election guide. Rules change — check with your election office before you rely on a date.