COLUMBUS, Ohio — Franklin County voters are choosing a new prosecuting attorney in this year’s general election.
Democrat Shayla Favor and Republican John Rutan are facing off to take over for current Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Gary Tyack after he announced last year he wasn’t running for re-election.
According to the prosecutor's office website, the office handles more than 8,000 felony cases every year and is the legal advisor to all county officials, townships and agencies.
📺 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.
Favor, who currently sits on Columbus City Council and is a former Columbus assistant city attorney, defeated Anthony Pierson and Natalia Harris to secure the Democratic nomination during the March primary. She started serving on the council in 2019 to fill a vacancy and she was re-elected in 2023.
Earlier this year, Favor laid out her stance on several issues, including wrongful death convictions and the obligations of being the prosecuting attorney.
"One way in which I believe we can restore that trust is not only through evaluating cases that have been wrongful conviction cases, but I'm also interested in exploring cases where this office has elected not to pursue charges as well," Favor said.
If elected, Favor would become the first-ever Black and first-ever female prosecutor to serve as Franklin County prosecutor.
Rutan, who has been a defense attorney for the past 13 years, ran uncontested in the primary.
"All I care about is fair trials, not winning," Rutan said during a debate earlier this year. "The problem is people treat it about winning. You win by presenting a fair trial."
According to Rutan’s website, a few of his “prosecutor pledges” include bringing crime down, handling juvenile proceedings differently, more opportunities for people to be rehabilitated and parent responsibility.
🗳️ ELECTION RESULTS: Check back here for results, updated in real time, after polls close at 7:30 p.m.
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