Stark County voters get their last chance to vote early in person on Sunday, Nov. 1, when the Stark County Board of Elections in Canton opens from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. ahead of the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election. The board’s office at 3525 Regent Ave. NE in Canton is the county’s only early in-person voting site, and Sunday afternoon is the final early session on the statewide schedule set by the Ohio Secretary of State.
Turnout heading into the final weekend has already been strong. More than 19,000 Stark County voters had cast ballots as of Oct. 19, with about 8,000 voting absentee by mail and more than 10,000 voting in person at the elections board, The Canton Repository reported. Board of Elections Director Susan Verble told The Canton Repository that the trend since 2022 has been toward more people choosing to vote in person, early or on Election Day, rather than by mail.
What is on the ballot gives Stark County voters plenty to decide. Countywide questions include the Stark County Library District levy — a renewal of 2 mills with an increase of 0.3 mill, for 2.3 mills total, which the county auditor estimates would collect $14,949,218 annually for eight years, according to the board of elections’ legal notice — along with a transit tax question, school bond issues and contested courthouse and council races across the county, according to the Canton Repository’s 2026 voter guide.
Voters who still hold a mail ballot face a new, harder deadline this year. Under Senate Bill 293, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in December 2025, absentee ballots must arrive by the close of polls to be counted, with an exception for military and overseas voters, The Canton Repository reported. For most Stark County voters that means the board must have the ballot in hand by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3 — dropping it off at the board office, 3525 Regent Ave. NE, is the surest route this late.
Voters can preview exactly what they will see in the booth before they go. The Stark County Board of Elections offers an online sample-ballot tool on its website, and the board reminds in-person voters to bring a valid photo ID.
Community groups are also making a final push. A Your Vote Matters rally is planned for 2 to 4 p.m. Nov. 1 at St. Paul’s Church, 1800 Tuscarawas St. E in Canton, where community leaders, ministers and candidates are scheduled to speak, according to The Canton Repository’s community briefs — timed so attendees can still reach the board of elections before early voting closes at 5 p.m.
After Sunday, the next and last chance to vote is Election Day itself. Polls across Stark County are open Tuesday, Nov. 3 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and voters who are in line at 7:30 p.m. may still cast a ballot. Results will begin posting from the board of elections after the polls close Tuesday night.
Photo: Niagara66, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons