Ohio is changing the rules for absentee voting ahead of the 2026 election. Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation on Dec. 19 to eliminate the grace period for mailed absentee ballots that arrive after Election Day. The move came as the Trump administration targets mail-in voting and the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a case over ballot deadlines.

Ohio will launch a new Election Integrity Commission Jan. 1 to police election issues and seek fines and make criminal referrals for violations such as ballot harvesting, petition fraud and voter registration fraud.

The Nov. 3, 2026 election will be the first major referendum on President Donald Trump's second term. At the state level, Ohioans will see a shakeup in leadership with the departure of Gov. Mike DeWine as other term-limited officials pursue new jobs.

Next year’s political news, in Ohio and across the country, is likely to revolve around the 2026 Midterm Elections. State leaders have made some big changes to how Ohioans will vote in the Midterms and how elections are run and secured.

The Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced there was a record number of close races in the 2025 general election. “Tight races underscore why election integrity matters, and it reinforces the need for a zero-tolerance approach to unlawful voting,

Close contests in northwest Ohio occurred in five counties, including two races that came down to a single vote.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose today announced a record number of close races in the 2025 general election following a successful post-election audit.

The fact that voter fraud is rare in our state is because lawmakers take fraud seriously and those who try to game the system are punished. And because the threats to election security are always evolving, state law should evolve alongside those threats to ensure that Ohio elections remain honest and accurate.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a bill into law that would require nearly every ballot to be counted on election night. The governor wishes he could have vetoed it, he said.

Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said his hand was forced, given the uncertain outcome of a Mississippi case that the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide next summer.