Amanda Crouse
News Editor
Tuesday, May 5 is election day for the Ohio primaries. Below is a guide to primary elections, absentee deadlines and the offices that will appear on the ballot.
What is a Primary Election?
A primary election is a preliminary round of voting that decides which candidates will be included on the ballot for the general election (Nov. 3).
States conduct primaries in different ways, but open, closed and semi-closed primaries are some of the most common methods. Ohio uses a semi-closed system for primary elections. Semi-closed primaries are organized along partisan lines, meaning that voters are only allowed to vote for candidates from one political party. In a semi-closed election, voters can request a ballot from a political party that is different from the one they are registered with, but their vote may be regarded as registration for that party.
For example, a voter who is registered as a Republican but requests a Democrat ballot for the primaries may have their registration changed to Democrat when they send in their vote. Unaffiliated voters receive ballots listing unaffiliated candidates. If an unaffiliated voter requests a partisan ballot, they may also be registered under the party that corresponds to that ballot. This affiliation lasts for two years unless voters update their registration, or if they do not vote in another primary for two years.
Voting Deadlines
The deadline to register to vote in Ohio’s 2026 primaries was April 6. However, individuals can still register to vote in the Ohio general elections, which will take place on Nov. 3. The deadline for registering to vote in the Aug. 4 special election is July 6 at 9 p.m., while the deadline for registration for general elections is Oct. 6 at 9 p.m.
Absentee voting for Ohio primaries began on April 7. Absentee ballots will be accepted until 7:30 p.m. on May 5. To request an absentee ballot, voters must send an application to their local board of elections. Applications must be received by the board before 8:30 p.m. on April 28. Voters need to request an absentee ballot every time they vote, even if they voted absentee in a previous election.
Early in-person voting opened on April 7, and continues on most weekdays until May 5. Designated polling locations and hours of operation can be found on www.ohiosos.gov.
What will be on the ballot?
Districts and local candidates listed are for Wooster’s primaries. To see candidates for your precinct and find out more about candidates running for the offices listed below, visit https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections.
Federal Offices
- U.S. Senate (special elections)
- U.S. House of Representatives District 7
State Offices
- Ohio Governor
- Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
- Ohio Secretary of State
- Attorney General of Ohio
- Ohio Auditor of State
- Ohio Treasurer
- Ohio Supreme Court (2 seats will be voted on)
- Ohio State Senate District 31
- Ohio House of Representatives District 77
- Ohio 9th District Court of Appeals
Local Offices
- Wayne County Auditor
- Wayne County Commission
- Wayne County Court of Common Pleas Probate and Juvenile Divisions
Are you registered to vote in another state? Learn more about your state’s primary elections and voting deadlines by visiting the Primary Elections Calendar on Ballotpedia. Before election day, make sure you know how your state conducts primaries, as it may be different from Ohio elections.
