PAULDING — Paulding County voters turned out at 74.42% in the November 3, 2026 general election, the highest turnout of any county in Ohio, according to the statewide turnout compilation reported by WiseVoter, which noted Ohio’s statewide turnout reached 58.1%.
That means roughly three of every four registered voters in this northwest Ohio county cast a ballot in a midterm election that typically draws far lighter participation — WiseVoter noted the statewide figure far exceeded the roughly 40% usually seen in midterm cycles, with strong contests for governor and U.S. Senator topping the ballot.
The Paulding County Board of Elections, at 105 East Perry Street in Paulding, has posted the county’s November 3 cumulative, precinct-detail and overlap results on its official results page, and those unofficial figures are the record the county is now canvassing.
All of the county’s election-night figures remain unofficial until the canvass is complete. Under Ohio law, county boards must certify their results no later than the 21st day after the election — Tuesday, November 24, 2026 — ahead of the state’s own certification.
Paulding County’s turnout lead is notable even in a high-interest cycle. Four east Ohio counties — Monroe, Harrison, Belmont and Jefferson — each recorded turnout above 50%, according to WiseVoter’s compilation, which included information reported by The Times Leader, but none approached Paulding County’s mark.
The board that will certify those results is chaired by Penny J. Duer, according to the Paulding County Board of Elections’ official site, which also carries the county’s notices for the November 3, 2026 general election, including its candidate and issues list and its federal write-in absentee ballot notices. The board administers voter registration, absentee ballots and Election Day operations for the county from its Paulding office.
For Paulding County voters, the practical meaning of the canvass is finality: provisional and late-arriving eligible ballots are resolved, precinct totals are reconciled against the election-night cumulative report, and the certified figures become the official record used for any recount determinations and for the state abstract that follows.
What happens next: the Paulding County Board of Elections completes its official canvass and certifies the county’s results by November 24. NewsForce247 will update this county’s record when the official canvass is filed.