Hamilton County voters head to their neighborhood polling places on Tuesday, Nov. 3, after in-person early voting for the 2026 general election ended on Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Hamilton County Board of Elections in Norwood. The board’s election calendar shows early in-person voting ran from Oct. 6 through Nov. 1 at the board’s Early Vote Center, 4700 Smith Road in Norwood, with evening hours in the final week and weekend hours on Oct. 24, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
The county ballot is a long one. In its Oct. 20 election update, the Board of Elections said Hamilton County voters will decide contests including Ohio Governor, Secretary of State and other statewide officials, U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, along with local ballot issues. The county’s one contested commissioner race pairs Meeka Owens (D) against Jonathan Pearson (R), and voters statewide will also decide Issue 3, the voter identification constitutional amendment.
Local issues reach deep into daily life. The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s election guide notes that six school districts in the county, including Cincinnati Public Schools, have a levy on the ballot, as does Hamilton County Job and Family Services with its Children’s Services levy. Voters can view their own sample ballot — the exact races and issues for their address — on the board’s website, VoteHamiltonCountyOhio.gov, before they go.
“Whether you plan to vote early by mail, vote early in person at the Board of Elections in Norwood, or vote at your local polling place on Election Day, make your plan to cast your ballot in the upcoming election today!” said Sherry Poland, the board’s director, in the board’s Oct. 20 release. With the early options now closed, Election Day itself is the remaining plan: polls are open Tuesday from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and on Election Day voters must cast their ballot at their assigned polling place, which the board’s website and the state’s voter lookup can confirm.
Mail voters have one hard deadline left. The board’s election calendar states that all absentee ballots must be returned to the Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, and Ohio law requires voters casting a ballot in person to present a photo ID, according to the library’s voter guide. Anyone still holding a completed absentee ballot on Tuesday should hand-deliver it to the board in Norwood rather than trust the mail on the final day.
The Board of Elections can be reached at 513-946-8500 for polling-place questions. NewsForce247 is covering Tuesday’s vote county by county across Ohio, and Hamilton County — the state’s third-largest county and home to Cincinnati — will be one of the most closely watched as results come in.
What happens next: polls close at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, and the board will begin releasing unofficial results after they close. Voters in line at 7:30 p.m. remain entitled to cast a ballot. Certified results follow in the weeks after Election Day, once provisional and late-arriving eligible absentee ballots are counted under Ohio law.