Butler County voters had their last chance to cast an early in-person ballot on Sunday, November 1, as the county board of elections in Hamilton opened from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. for the final early-voting session before the Tuesday, November 3 general election, under the Ohio Secretary of State’s 2026 voting schedule.
The Butler County Board of Elections sits at 1802 Princeton Road, Suite 600, in Hamilton, the county’s early-voting location listed in the Secretary of State’s directory and in the League of Women Voters of Oxford’s 2026 voter guide, which lists the board’s phone number as (513) 887-3700. Early in-person voting began October 6 and included the two Saturdays and the Sunday before Election Day; there is no early voting on Monday, November 2.
One county race is guaranteed to change hands: Butler County will have a new commissioner no matter the outcome, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported in its November 1 look at the region’s races to watch. Republican Michael Ryan, who previously served as vice mayor of Hamilton, is running against Democrat Mike Miller for the seat, the Enquirer reported, after current Republican Commissioner Cindy Carpenter did not seek the county party’s endorsement.
County voters are also deciding a five-year, 2-mill levy that would renew and increase the county’s elderly services levy, estimated to generate more than $20.2 million annually, according to the Dayton Daily News’ election preview. Our first-pass coverage of the county examined its mental health levy renewal and school bonds on the November 3 ballot.
One rule is new this cycle and matters most to mail voters: under Senate Bill 293, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in December 2025, absentee ballots must arrive at the board of elections by the close of polls on Election Day to be counted — there is no longer a grace period after Election Day for most ballots, the Columbus Dispatch reported. Butler County voters holding a completed absentee ballot should deliver it to the board office in Hamilton rather than risk the mail.
On Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, polls across Butler County are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and voters must cast ballots at their assigned polling place. Absentee ballots must be in the board’s hands by 7:30 p.m. that evening, under the Secretary of State’s schedule.
This story is the second-pass update for Butler County in our county-by-county election rotation. What happens next: after Sunday’s session, the next ballots cast in Butler County will be on Election Day itself. Polls open at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, and results will begin to be reported after polls close at 7:30 p.m.
Photo: Isaac and Alex Singleton, CC BY-SA