Ohio voters will decide a pivotal U.S. Senate race this year as Republican Sen. Jon Husted seeks to keep the seat he was appointed to fill and Democrat Sherrod Brown

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 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.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has tapped leadership for the new Ohio Election Integrity Commission. As part of last summer’s budget, state lawmakers axed the state’s existing independent campaign watchdog and replaced it with a new office under the secretary’s control.

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.

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - In 2025, dozens of local contests were decided by one to three votes. 10 races ended in ties after November’s general election; automatic recounts were ordered for races in 53 counties.

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.

Ohio Secretary of State's office reports 1,200 election fraud cases referred and record business registrations in 2025.

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.

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

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.