Ottawa County voters have entered the final week of early voting for the Nov. 3 general election, with in-person early voting held at the Ottawa County Board of Elections, 8444 W. State Route 163, Suite 101, in Oak Harbor, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s early voting directory.
Tuesday, Oct. 27, is a key date on the state calendar: early voting runs from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and absentee ballot applications must be received by the board of elections by 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s 2026 voting schedule. It is the last day to request a ballot by mail for this election.
Early in-person voting continues Wednesday through Friday, Oct. 28-30, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. each day, then Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 1, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Secretary of State’s schedule shows. Sunday is the final day of early in-person voting; there is no early voting on Monday, Nov. 2.
Voters who have already received an absentee ballot should plan their return carefully. Under Ohio’s current rules, mailed absentee ballots must be received by the board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day to be counted — a postmark alone is not enough. Ballots can also be returned in person, or by a near relative, to the board of elections office or its secure drop box by 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3.
Ottawa County’s Nov. 3 ballot includes the statewide races and statewide Issue 3 alongside the county, municipal, township and school questions placed before voters in communities across the county, from Port Clinton and Oak Harbor to the Lake Erie shore communities. Voters can preview the exact ballot for their precinct through the Ohio Secretary of State’s voter toolkit before they go.
On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls across Ottawa County will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at voters’ assigned precinct locations — not at the board of elections office, which is used for early voting only. Voters in line by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day will be permitted to vote.
The Ottawa County Board of Elections can be reached at 419-898-3071 during regular office hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, for questions about registration status, early voting and precinct locations, according to the Secretary of State’s board directory.
Photo: LeeG7144, CC BY-SA 3.0