Pike County voters are in the final week of early voting ahead of the Tuesday, November 3, 2026, general election, with in-person early voting continuing at the Pike County Board of Elections in Waverly through Sunday, November 1, under the Ohio Secretary of State’s statewide voting schedule.
Early voting stayed open late on Tuesday, October 27, running from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Hours continue Wednesday, October 28, through Friday, October 30, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. each day, followed by Saturday, October 31, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a final early session on Sunday, November 1, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. There is no early voting on Monday, November 2, and Election Day polls will be open Tuesday, November 3, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The board of elections office is located at 230 Waverly Plaza, Suite 1100, in Waverly, according to the board’s official site, and voters with questions can reach the office at 740-947-4512. Tuesday also carried a key mail-ballot deadline under the Secretary of State’s 2026 schedule: absentee ballot applications had to be received by the board by 8:30 p.m. on October 27.
Voters who already hold an absentee ballot should plan for it to be in the board’s hands, not just in the mail, by the close of polls. Under the Secretary of State’s schedule, completed absentee ballots must be received by the board by 7:30 p.m. on November 3, and a postmark alone is not sufficient. Voters who miss that window can still vote in person during the remaining early sessions or on Election Day.
The countywide race drawing the most attention is the open seat on the Pike County Board of Commissioners. The Chillicothe Gazette, in its ballot preview for Pike County, reported that Democrat Bob Thompson and Republican Neil Edward Leist are the two candidates for the seat, and that Republican David K. Brown is listed for county auditor.
The Gazette also reported the countywide money question on the ballot: an additional tax for Pike County’s developmental disabilities programs and services, estimated to collect $1,327,292 annually at a rate not exceeding 2 mills — $70 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s market value — for five years. Waverly City School District voters will also decide a proposed earned income tax for current expenses for five years, according to the Gazette’s preview.
Beyond those, The Chillicothe Gazette reported a run of township renewal levies across the county, most of them for fire protection and cemeteries: fire renewals in Mifflin, Perry, Seal (with Piketon Village) and Sunfish townships, and cemetery renewals in Benton, Pebble and Union townships. Because local questions vary by community, voters can review their own ballot through the board of elections before arriving to vote.
At the top of the ballot, Pike County voters will also help decide Issue 3, the proposed statewide constitutional amendment on photo identification for voting, along with Ohio’s statewide races. After Sunday’s final early session closes at 5 p.m., the last chance to vote will be at assigned polling places across Pike County on Tuesday, November 3, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.