ATHENS, Ohio — Athens County’s vote in the November 3, 2026, general election is counted but not yet official, as the Athens County Board of Elections moves from its election-night tally toward the official canvass and certification required under Ohio law. The board’s unofficial results show all 50 precincts reporting, with 20,572 ballots cast out of 36,003 registered voters — a turnout of 57.14 percent, according to the Athens County Board of Elections.
The board breaks those 20,572 ballots down as 11,729 cast on Election Day, 6,198 cast by absentee voters in the board office during early voting, and 2,645 cast by absentee ballot by mail. No provisional ballots were included in the election-night totals — one reason the figures stay unofficial until certification later this month.
In the statewide races, Athens County voted heavily for Democratic candidates, according to the board’s unofficial results. For governor and lieutenant governor, Amy Acton and David Pepper received 13,308 votes in the county to 6,389 for Vivek Ramaswamy and Robert A. McColley. For attorney general, John J. Kulewicz received 12,807 votes to 7,335 for Keith Faber.
That pattern held in the other statewide executive races. For auditor of state, Annette Blackwell received 12,744 votes to 7,433 for Frank LaRose. For secretary of state, Allison Russo received 12,806 votes to 6,723 for Robert Sprague and 634 for Tom Pruss. For treasurer of state, Seth Walsh received 12,721 votes to 7,509 for Jay Edwards.
For U.S. Senate, Sherrod Brown received 12,700 votes in Athens County to 6,508 for Jon Husted, the board reported. For the Ohio Supreme Court, Marilyn Zayas received 12,903 votes to 7,163 for Daniel R. Hawkins, and Jennifer Brunner received 12,984 votes to 7,031 for Colleen O’Donnell. Statewide Issue 3, the photo ID amendment, was the county’s closest statewide question, drawing 10,153 yes votes to 9,822 no votes on the unofficial count. Local races and levies on the same ballot, including the commissioner race and the Athens City Schools income tax, were covered in earlier NewsForce247 reports.
The path from here to certification is set out in Secretary of State Directive 2026-48, issued October 2, 2026. Boards must stay open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Saturday, November 7, so voters can cure an absentee or provisional ballot deficiency, and eligible military and overseas ballots received by mail within four days after Election Day are also counted, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
What happens next is the official canvass. Directive 2026-48 requires each board to begin its official canvass no earlier than Sunday, November 8, and no later than Wednesday, November 18, and to complete the canvass and certify no later than Tuesday, November 24, 2026 — the 21st day after the election. During the canvass, bipartisan teams review records, rule on provisional ballots and count every remaining eligible ballot. The Secretary of State’s office then reviews county certifications before final statewide certification.
Photo: Ed!, CC BY-SA 3.0