Lawrence County voters head to their polling places today, Tuesday, November 3, 2026, as Election Day arrives in Ironton and across Ohio’s southernmost county, with polls open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to the Lawrence County Board of Elections.
The board, at 1305 S. Third Street in Ironton, is also the drop-off point for absentee ballots — and this year the deadline is absolute. Under Senate Bill 293, absentee ballots must be received by the board by 7:30 p.m. today to be counted, with no post-Election Day grace period for most voters, The Columbus Dispatch reported in its statewide drop-off guide. A completed ballot still at home should be delivered to the board office in Ironton, not mailed.
The county enters Election Day with an unusually strong mail-ballot return. Elections Director Tim Germani told the Board of Elections on November 2 that the county’s rolls list 57,470 registered voters, and that of 6,631 mail ballots sent, 5,940 had been returned — an 89.5 percent return rate — with machines, supplies and judges in place for Election Day, Citizen Portal reported from the board’s meeting.
On the local ballot, Lawrence County voters decide a renewal of the Lawrence County Joint Vocational School District’s permanent improvement levy — 0.5 mill that the county auditor estimates will collect $744,260 annually — according to the official sample ballot produced by the Lawrence County Board of Elections. Ironton voters also decide a renewal of the city’s recreation tax levy, and Fayette Township voters a renewal of the township’s fire levy, the sample ballot shows.
Countywide, voters join all Ohioans in deciding the statewide races — governor, U.S. senator, attorney general, auditor, secretary of state and treasurer, and the Ohio Supreme Court seats — plus statewide State Issue 3, the proposed constitutional amendment on voter photo identification, and the 93rd District statehouse race that NewsForce247’s first-pass Lawrence County coverage highlighted in October.
Early in-person voting, which ran at the board office from October 6, ended Sunday, November 1, under the Ohio Secretary of State’s statewide schedule. Voters who did not take part now have one route left: their assigned polling place, today, before 7:30 p.m.
What happens next is the count. Polls close at 7:30 p.m., the Lawrence County Board of Elections will report unofficial results tonight, and the official canvass and certification follow in the coming days. Any voter in line at 7:30 p.m. is entitled to cast a ballot.
Photo: Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA