Wood County’s November 3 election results remain unofficial this week, and the county’s official count has not yet begun. Under Ohio Secretary of State Directive 2026-48, the Wood County Board of Elections may open its official canvass no earlier than Sunday, November 8, must begin by Wednesday, November 18, and must complete the canvass and certify the county’s results no later than Tuesday, November 24. The Secretary of State’s office notes that results stay unofficial until that process is finished and the state certifies the election.
Wood County voters decided a full ballot on Tuesday. The county’s certified candidate list from the Board of Elections included the statewide races — Governor, Attorney General, Auditor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, two Ohio Supreme Court seats and the unexpired U.S. Senate term — along with Statewide Issue 3, congressional races in the 5th District and part of the 9th District, and Ohio House races in the 75th and 44th districts.
The ballot also carried contested Wood County offices, including a three-way race for county commissioner among Brenna Reynolds, Ryan E. Lee and Joseph R. DeMare, a county auditor race between Mark Wongrowski and Matthew R. Oestreich, and judicial races for probate court and common pleas court, according to the Board of Elections candidate list. No official winners in those races can be declared from the county’s posted results yet: as of Thursday, the Board of Elections results page listed the November 3, 2026 general election without posted result files, and this story reports no vote totals the board has not published.
Several steps still stand between election night and final numbers. The Secretary of State’s office says outstanding military and overseas ballots have up to four days after Election Day to arrive and be counted, and that qualifying provisional ballots are considered during the official canvass and included in the final official results. Directive 2026-48 also set this week’s cure period, with boards open November 4 through 7 for voters to fix absentee and provisional ballot deficiencies.
Once Wood County certifies, its official reports — including the official vote totals and precinct turnout detail — go to the Secretary of State the same day, and the Secretary of State reviews county certifications before the final statewide certification, according to the Secretary of State’s office. State law also provides for an automatic recount in a statewide race when the margin is less than one-fourth of one percent, the Secretary of State’s office said in its November 3 release.
What happens next is the canvass itself. Wood County’s board can begin as soon as Sunday, November 8, and every Wood County number becomes final only when the board certifies by November 24 and the state completes its review. NewsForce247 will update this coverage with the county’s certified totals when the board posts them.
Photo: Mbrickn, CC BY-SA 4.0