Gov. Mike DeWine signs bill to end grace period for mail-in ballots
Ohioans must now return absentee ballots by Election Day if they want their vote to count.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation on Dec. 19 that eliminates the grace period for mail-in absentee ballots. The move came nearly two years after DeWine said he didn't expect further changes to election law during his time in office.
Ohio previously allowed local officials to accept ballots that arrive up to four days later, as long as they were postmarked the day before the election. Now, absentee ballots must arrive by the close of polls. The change does not apply to military and overseas voters.
Senate Bill 293 also allows the secretary of state's office to automatically cancel the voter registrations of people who appear to be noncitizens based on state and federal databases.
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/state/2025/12/19/mike-dewine-signs-bill-to-change-ohio-mail-in-ballot-deadline/87379073007/