Van Wert County voters can cast an early in-person ballot on Saturday, October 24, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Van Wert County Board of Elections office, 1362 E. Ervin Road in Van Wert. Early voting for the November 3, 2026 general election is held at the board office, not at precinct polling places, and Saturday gives residents who work during the week a weekend option to vote ahead of Election Day.
The schedule expands next week. Early voting runs 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. It then continues Wednesday, October 28, through Friday, October 30, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. each day. The board office is normally open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, so the early-voting hours are longer than its regular hours.
Two more weekend days follow. Early voting is available Saturday, October 31, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, November 1, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. There is no early voting on Monday, November 2, the day before the election. Voters who have not cast a ballot by the end of Sunday will vote at their precinct polling place on Election Day.
Voters who prefer to vote absentee by mail face a deadline this week. Absentee ballot applications must be received by the board by 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27. For most voters, a completed absentee ballot must be received by the board by 7:30 p.m. on November 3. For UOCAVA voters, the deadline for receipt is November 7.
An absentee ballot can be requested in several ways listed by the board. Voters can download an application and mail it in or drop it at the secure drop box on the Jennings Road side of the board building. A request can also be made by email or by phone. The board can be reached at 419-238-4192 or at [email protected] for questions about an application or about voting.
Voters should bring accepted identification. Accepted forms include an Ohio driver’s license, an Ohio state ID or an interim identification form issued by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, a U.S. military ID, an Ohio National Guard ID or a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID, and a U.S. passport or passport card. A notice mailed by the board cannot be used as identification, so voters should plan to bring one of the accepted forms instead.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, when polls at precinct polling places will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The voter registration deadline for this election was October 5 at 9 p.m. and has passed. Residents with questions about early hours, absentee voting or identification can contact the Van Wert County Board of Elections at its Ervin Road office before they go to vote.
Photo: Nyttend, CC BY-SA