Ross County — Tuesday, May 5th, is election day, and the Ross County Board of Elections has been gearing up for the spring election. I spoke with the leaders of the board on May 1st, 2026, and you can hear them in their own words below.
Early voting closes at 5pm Sunday, and unless you have signed up for absentee voting, you must vote in your polling place on Tuesday (since there is no early voting on Monday).
Director Tracy Henness and Jessica Smith, Deputy Director, said voters are welcome to come in to 475 Western Avenue in Chillicothe to ask questions – or better, to call 740 / 775-2350 (email [email protected]). Their regular hours are 8am to 4pm.
But unless the Ross County Service Center is your official polling place, you must vote at your location – which can be found through the Polling Location Search on their website.
Voters can also look through the board’s website for information, including creating a customized sample ballot. Be sure to bring a valid state or federal photo ID to the polling place. (The state has an online chart of voter ID requirements.)
Poll workers are always welcome, if you don’t mind a very long day serving the public. (Yes, you are paid for 13 hours, plus training!) But in the office, the work continues after election day with followng state law to process the votes.
There was some controversy about the City of Chillicothe’s street levy. The city was surprised to learn, late in the process, that their 10-year limitation could not be included in the language. So, council has promised to use a a city ordinance to limit the replacement 0.2% earned income tax. The Board of Elections has a statement on that, below.
Election day is 6:30am to 7:30pm on Tuesday.
The Board’s statement about the adjustment of language for the city’s street levy:
