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 upcoming year is shaping up to be a massive one in the political sphere, particularly in the Buckeye State.

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.

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.

Look for wild vote count fluctuation for days after polls close. Counteroffensives include an executive order by President Trump, followed by a challenge to Mississippi's counting process that has not reached the U.

Ohio's four-day grace period that allows absentee ballots to be counted if they arrive after Election Day is going away in 2026.

Ohio is rolling out a new method for sharing voter records with other states, following its withdrawal from a long-running national data-sharing system in 2023.

A bill that eliminates the four-day grace period for absentee ballots to arrive at Ohio boards of elections will become law, though Gov. Mike DeWine admits he’s not happy about that.