Clinton County voters can cast an early in-person ballot from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. this week, Oct. 19 through Oct. 23, at the Clinton County Board of Elections, 111 S. Nelson Ave., Suite 4, in Wilmington, under the statewide early-voting schedule set by the Ohio Secretary of State. Early voting for the Nov. 3, 2026 general election began Oct. 6 and runs through Nov. 1.
The board’s office in Wilmington is the county’s single early-voting site — the ballot is cast at the board office, not at a voter’s Election Day precinct. The board can be reached at 937-382-3537 with questions about registration, sample ballots and polling places, and voters can check their registration and precinct through the state’s official voter lookup before they go.
Hours expand after this week. Early voting runs Saturday, Oct. 24, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 26, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Oct. 28 through Oct. 30 from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 1, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., under the Secretary of State’s schedule. There is no early voting on Monday, Nov. 2.
Voters who prefer to vote by mail face a nearer deadline: absentee ballot applications must be received by the board of elections by 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Completed domestic absentee ballots must be received by the board by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day to be counted, so officials recommend mailing a completed ballot well ahead of that deadline or returning it in person to the board office.
On the Nov. 3 ballot in Clinton County, voters decide Wilmington rezoning referendums and levy renewals alongside the statewide races, according to the county’s first-pass ballot preview published earlier this season. Voters can view their specific sample ballot through the board and the Secretary of State ahead of time so there are no surprises at the check-in table.
Early voters should bring an accepted photo ID, as Ohio requires for in-person voting. Anyone still in line when a day’s early-voting session is scheduled to end is allowed to vote, under the statewide schedule — but planning for the quieter weekday hours this week can mean a shorter wait than the final weekend.
Election Day itself is Tuesday, Nov. 3, when Clinton County precinct polling places open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Whether a voter goes early in Wilmington, votes by mail by the Oct. 27 application deadline, or votes at their precinct on Nov. 3, the board’s message is the same: check your registration, look at your sample ballot, and make a plan before the lines build.
Photo: Aesopposea, CC BY-SA