Geauga County voters can cast an early in-person ballot for the November 3, 2026 general election from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. this week at the county Board of Elections office, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite 004, in Chardon. The early voting period runs October 19 through October 23 on that weekday schedule, giving registered voters a chance to vote in person before Election Day without waiting for their precinct polling place to open.
The schedule expands in the final days before the election. Voting is available Saturday, October 24 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., then Monday, October 26 from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Tuesday, October 27 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. From October 28 through October 30 the hours are 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by Saturday, October 31 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, November 1 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Early in-person voting ends at 5 p.m. on November 1.
Voters who prefer to vote by mail should note the application deadline. Absentee ballot applications must be received by the Board of Elections by October 27 at 8:30 p.m. Non-UOCAVA absentee ballots must be received by 7:30 p.m. on November 3 to be counted, and voters returning a ballot by mail should follow the guidance from the Ohio Secretary of State on mailing it in time.
Anyone voting in person will need to show photo identification, as required under Ohio rules for in-person voting. The voter registration deadline for this election was October 5, when boards of elections stayed open until 9 p.m. to accept registrations. Voters who are already registered do not need to register again to use early voting, but they should confirm their registration and bring an accepted form of photo ID.
Getting to the polls is also part of the county’s planning. Geauga Transit is offering free Dial-a-Ride rides to early voting and to Election Day polling places, under an announcement shared with Laketran and Geauga Transit. The free rides are intended to help voters who do not drive or who need transportation assistance reach the Ravenwood Drive office this month or their precinct location on Election Day.
For voters who wait until Election Day, polls across Geauga County will be open on Tuesday, November 3 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at precinct polling places. Election Day voting is at the voter’s assigned precinct location, which is different from the single early voting site in Chardon, so voters who plan to go on November 3 should check their precinct location in advance.
Board of Elections staff at the Ravenwood Drive office can answer questions about hours, absentee applications and polling locations during the voting period. With early voting now underway, county officials are encouraging voters who want to avoid Election Day lines to use the weekday 8-to-5 window this week or one of the extended evening and weekend hours in the final week.
Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA