(The Center Square) — What appears to be an intense 2026 election season kicks off behind the scenes in Ohio.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose directed county boards of elections to begin reprogramming registration systems with new district boundaries. The work has to be completed by Dec. 12.

“While boards are reminded that candidate petitions cannot be verified or certified until reprogramming is complete, this serves as the kickoff for what will be high-profile congressional elections in 2026,” LaRose said. “I’m confident that our boards of elections will take the necessary care to ensure an accurate changeover.”

The filing deadline for the May 5 primary is Feb. 4, and the deadline for write-in candidates is Feb. 23.

In late October, the Ohio Redistricting Commission approved new congressional districts that could increase the state’s Republican advantage from the current 10-5 to 13-2, which somewhat mirrors the GOP-leaning districts passed without Democratic support in 2022.

Those districts, however, did not produce as many Republican seats as the party had hoped.

The new maps target three seats: Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-District 13, in northeast Ohio; Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-District 9, in northwest Ohio; and Rep. Grad Landsman, D-District 1, in southwest Ohio.

The commission says nine new districts lean toward Republicans, two lean toward Democrats and four are within a 45%-55% margin.

Lawmakers also approved a series of voting changes that await Gov. Mike DeWine’s signature to become law.

The changes include an end to the state’s four-day grace period for absentee ballots, and provisions Republicans added that require the secretary of state to do monthly checks of the voter registration database.

The election changes also require proof of citizenship when registering or updating voter registration, and a person must bring documents to the polls to prove citizenship if state officials can’t confirm citizenship through existing records.

The secretary of state must also send monthly reports to county boards of elections listing voters who have died, and election officials are required to challenge any voter flagged as a noncitizen on their driver’s license or state ID.