COLUMBUS, Ohio — It’s Election Day!
Millions of voters are flocking to the polls to make their voices heard on key issues and races on the General Election ballot.
This election includes the presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris and Ohio’s U.S. Senate race between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Bernie Moreno.
There's also Ohio Issue 1, an initiative seeking to establish the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission. In addition, there are several U.S. House, Ohio Supreme Court, Ohio Senate and Ohio House races.
In central Ohio, voters will approve or reject the LinkUS COTA tax levy, which would expand transit. Elsewhere, Columbus City Council member Shayla Favor could become Franklin County's first-ever Black and first-ever female prosecutor. Several school districts have placed bonds or levies on the ballot such as Bexley, Grandview Heights, Hilliard, Marysville, New Albany-Plain, Reynoldsburg and Westerville.
Each community may have additional races, bonds and levies on the ballot for local voters.
📺 10TV+ ELECTION SPECIAL: From the latest electoral count in the presidential race to local races and issues in central Ohio, we’re bringing you live election coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. on 10TV+, 10TV.com, the 10TV News app, and YouTube.
The best way to watch this election special is on a big screen via the free 10TV+ streaming platform, available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.
LIVE UPDATES FROM THE POLLS
12:30 p.m. | Lines seem to be moving at a decent pace at polling locations in Columbus. Poll workers are expecting to see a big surge in voters after people get off work this evening.
9:45 a.m. | JD Vance casts his ballot in Ohio
Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance voted in Cincinnati this morning.
“Look, I feel good. You never know until you know, but I feel good about this race,” Vance said after he and his wife cast their ballots.
Vance said he would depart for Palm Beach, Florida, later today to be with Donald Trump as results come in.
7:00 a.m. | Voting begins smoothly as people begin to vote throughout central Ohio. Some people have reported waiting about an hour to vote.
6:30 a.m. | Polls open for the day across Ohio.
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If you’re planning on heading to the polls today, here are a few things to note.
WHAT'S ON THE BALLOT?
Presidential race
Donald Trump is going up against Kamala Harris in the presidential race.
In her campaign, Harris has taken the approach of exciting and organizing the diverse Democratic base, especially younger generations, nonwhite voters and women, while convincing moderate Republicans who dislike Trump that they should be comfortable with her in the Oval Office, some policy disagreements notwithstanding. That’s the same formula Biden used in defeating Trump four years ago, flipping traditionally GOP-leaning states like Arizona and Georgia and narrowing the gap in North Carolina.
Trump, meanwhile, appears to bet that his path back to the White House depends mostly on his core supporters, plus enough new support from working- and middle-class voters drawn to his promises of tax breaks.
The two candidates debated each other in September, you can read highlights from the debate here.
U.S. Senate race in Ohio
Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown and Republican businessman Bernie Moreno are competing for the U.S. Senate seat to represent the state of Ohio.
With Democrats holding a tenuous 51-49 voting majority in the Senate but defending more seats than Republicans, Brown’s seat is expected to be a top GOP target. He is the lone Democrat holding a non-judicial statewide office in Ohio, a state that has moved steadily to the right during the Trump era.
The constitutional amendment aims to replace the current Ohio Redistricting Commission, made up of three statewide officeholders and four state lawmakers, with an independent body selected directly by citizens. The new panel’s members would be diversified by party affiliation and geography.
The effort follows the existing structure’s repeated failure to produce constitutional maps. During the protracted process for redrawing district boundaries to account for the results of the 2020 Census, challenges filed in court resulted in two congressional maps and five sets of Statehouse maps being rejected as unconstitutionally gerrymandered.
Justice of Supreme Court
There are six different candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court running for three different races. Depending on the outcome of this race, the court could be under a Democratic majority. Republicans currently have a 4-3 majority.
- Megan E. Shanahan (R) vs Michael P. Donnelly (D)
- Melody Stewart (D) vs Joseph T. Deters (R)
- Daniel R. Hawkins (R) vs Lisa Forbes (D)
School levies
The proposal calls for an initial 5 mill tax, followed by annual increases of 2.5 mills in years two through five, spanning from 2025-2029, according to the district. The proposed levy would fund daily, current operational expenses and maintain current academic offerings and student services.
As the buildings in the district near capacity, leaders have put a 4.46 mill bond levy on the ballot to provide funding for a new high school and other district projects. The district is seeking a $100 million bond issue. The projected levy is estimated to cost a Buckeye Valley homeowner $156 annually per $100,000 of assessed property value.
The Board of Education voted to place a $69.5 million bond issue on the ballot, which would go toward the construction of a new Stevenson Elementary School and improvements to the district's K-12 athletic complex. According to the district, the proposed project would be approximately 6.95 mills, equal to $243 per $100,000 of property valuation annually.
The proposed bond issue would provide the district with $78.3 million to construct, improve, furnish and equip three new middle schools and an addition to Groveport Madison High School if passed. The cost to homeowners whose house has an appraised value of $100,000 would be 23.4 cents per day.
The 6.9 mill operating levy would generate funds for the day-to-day management of the district, like staffing, utilities and supplies. The bond issue would authorize the school district to issue $142 million in funding to replace and build three elementary schools, an additional preschool center, adding a third building for sixth graders and district-wide safety upgrades.
The district aims to secure funding through a bond issue to construct a new K-8 building. The district is requesting 4.3 mills, which equates to $151 per $100,000 of the council auditor's appraised value.
Voters in Marysville can expect to see a 5.5 mill emergency levy on the ballot on Election Day. Superintendent Diane Allen and the district’s treasurer, Todd Johnson said it would generate around $6.4 million annually, and allow the district to sustain its operations in the next five years. Read more about the levy here.
Voters in Reynoldsburg will vote on a 6.65 mill emergency levy placed on the ballot by school leaders.
District leaders say it began deficit spending in fiscal year 2023, meaning the district was spending more money than it brought in. Dr. Tracy Reed, superintendent of Reynoldsburg City Schools, said the district is putting the levy on the ballot because ESSER funds are running out for essential programs.
The levy will cost $233 per year per $100,000 of property value. For example, if your home costs $300,000, you’ll pay almost $700 a year.
The money would be used for constructing school facilities and renovating, improving and constructing additions to buildings. The ballot measure does not specify what schools would be improved. The ballot measure states that the bonds would be up to $140 million that would be repaid annually over a maximum of 37 years.
The measure also includes two levies. One of them, a 1.66 mill levy, would amount to $58 for each $100,000 of the appraised value. It would help pay the annual debt charges on the bonds. The second levy, 4.9 mills, would pay for current operating expenses, according to the ballot measure. It would cost Westerville residents $172 for each $100,000 of the appraised value. Read more on the bond, tax levies here.
Other bonds/levies on the ballot
Central Ohio Transit Authority
COTA will have a levy on the ballot that will be an $8 billion investment in transit throughout central Ohio. The levy is a sales tax initiative. If it passes, it will increase the sales tax in Columbus from 7.5% to 8%. Then COTA would receive 1% of that sales tax. Currently, it receives .5%. You can read more about the levy here.
Genoa Township
Roads and bridges levy
Voters in Genoa Township will be voting on a couple of levies in the upcoming election. One is the roads and bridges levy, which is brought to voters every five years. Voters will consider a replacement and decrease of the levy at a rate of 1.89 mills, which amounts to $66 per year for each $100,000 of the county auditor's appraised value. This allows for maintenance and repairs to be done to the roads.
Fire levy
Also on the ballot will be a fire and EMS levy. Voters will decide whether or not to approve a continuous levy at a rate of 7.0 mills, amounting to $245 for each $100,000 valuation. This will go toward funding increases in operating expenses for the fire department.
Plain Township
Plain Township Fire Chief Patrick Connor said his department needs to replace a fire engine, which will cost $1 million. They are asking for a levy, which would mean an additional $105 per $100,000 of home value. Connor said it would be the lowest levy in Franklin County. Read more on the levy here.
WHEN DO POLLS IN OHIO OPEN & CLOSE?
Polls in Ohio on Election Day are open between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Where is my polling place?
Voters can find their polling location here: ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/polling-location/
OHIO VOTER ID REQUIREMENTS
Valid types of photo identification include:
Ohio driver's license
State of Ohio ID card
Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV
US passport
US passport card
US military ID card
Ohio National Guard ID card
US Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
All photo IDs must have an expiration date that has not passed.
What if you forget your ID on Election Day? You will still be able to vote using a provisional ballot. For that ballot to be counted, you must return to the board of elections no later than four days following Election Day to provide a qualifying form of identification.
Ohio law prohibits acceptance of the following forms of ID:
Out-of-state driver’s license or photo ID
Social Security card
Birth certificate
Insurance card
Utility bill
Bank statement
Government check
Paycheck
Other government document
Any registration acknowledgment notice from the county board of elections
WHERE CAN I GET ELECTION RESULTS?
WBNS-10TV will share election results after the polls close, which you can check live on 10TV News, 10TV+ and at 10TV.com/elections. Be sure to follow 10TV on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for complete coverage.
Receive breaking news alerts on Election Day via the free 10TV mobile app.
What time will Ohio election results come in?
Expect to see the first results shortly after 7:30 p.m. Absentee ballots are the first votes counted, according to the Secretary of State's office.