Portage County voters have entered the final week of early voting for the Nov. 3 general election, with in-person early voting running at the Portage County Board of Elections, 449 S. Meridian St. in Ravenna, through Sunday, Nov. 1, according to the board’s posted schedule.
Tuesday, Oct. 27, brought the longest day of the early-voting calendar: the board office was open from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. Tuesday was also the statewide deadline for boards of elections to receive absentee ballot applications, under the Ohio Secretary of State’s 2026 voting schedule.
The final-week hours continue Wednesday through Friday, Oct. 28-30, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., then Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 1, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., when early in-person voting ends, according to the board’s schedule. There is no early voting on Monday, Nov. 2.
On the countywide ballot, Portage County voters are deciding a contested commissioner race: Jenny Adams is challenging Mike Tinlin for a seat on the board of county commissioners, a matchup the Record-Courier has covered through the fall campaign. County voters are also weighing state and district races on the Nov. 3 ballot.
City voters face local tax questions as well. The Portager reported that Ravenna’s Issue 15 asks voters to raise the city income tax from 2.5% to 2.75% to plan and build a new fire station, police station and city hall complex, while Kent voters are being asked to make permanent a 0.25% income tax increase first approved in 2013.
Voters who requested a ballot by mail should return it promptly: under Ohio’s rules for this election, a mailed ballot must be received by the board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, to be counted. Ballots can also be delivered in person to the board office by that deadline.
For voters waiting until Election Day, polls across Portage County will be open Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at assigned precinct polling places. Voters who are in line by 7:30 p.m. may still cast a ballot, and sample ballots and precinct information are available through the Portage County Board of Elections.
Photo: JonRidinger, CC BY