Central Ohio election officials track down 19,000 unreturned mail ballots

More than 19,000 mail-in ballots requested in central Ohio have not yet been returned to county boards of elections. Early voting wrapped up on Sunday, with the seven counties in the region reporting nearly 300,000 total early in-person and mail-in ballots cast.

Voters who have requested but not returned their ballots must have them received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Under a law changed by the Ohio General Assembly in November 2025, ballots arriving after polls close will no longer be counted, even if they were postmarked by Election Day. Officials advise voters to drop off their ballots in person at the county board of elections to ensure they are counted.

Franklin County holds the largest share of these outstanding votes, with more than 12,000 ballots still unreturned. The county also saw consistent lines during the final week of early voting. More than 90,000 residents voted early in person, while over 70,000 have requested a mail ballot.

These figures mark a sharp increase from the 2022 election. In that cycle, more than 48,000 people voted early in person in Franklin County, and slightly more than 100,000 requested and returned mail-in ballots. The current surge in mail ballot requests has left a larger pool of unreturned votes compared to previous cycles.