COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the November 8 general election, Ohioans will vote to decide the governor of Ohio — incumbent Mike DeWine or Nan Whaley — and who will replace Rob Portman in the United States Senate — Tim Ryan or JD Vance.
Among the other statewide races are Ohio Attorney General and Ohio Secretary of State.
🗳️ ELECTION RESULTS: Check back here for results, updated in real time, after polls close at 7:30 p.m.
Here's what Ohio voters need to know on Election Day:
When do polls open and close in Ohio? Polls in Ohio open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. If not returned by mail, absentee ballots must be received by your board of elections by 7:30 p.m.
Voting identification requirements: Valid identification includes state/government issued photo IDs or military IDs. Also acceptable (with certain restrictions) are utility bills, bank statements, goverment checks and paychecks.
Where do I vote in Ohio? Here's how to find your polling location: Visit the Ohio Secretary of State's website or your county's Board of Elections.
📺 ELECTION NIGHT COVERAGE: Starting at 7PM, we'll bring you live election coverage all night long on 10TV.com, the 10TV app, YouTube and every free 10TV+ streaming platform, including Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
Here’s a look at what to expect on election night in Ohio:
Decision notes
Ohio routinely counts a little more than 2 percent of votes in the days after Election Day, which should only delay race calls in the closest races. In the 2020 general election, 2.6% of votes were counted after Election Day. In 2018, before the pandemic, 2.7% were counted later. Most late-counted votes in both elections were provisional ballots.
Ohio has mandatory recounts for statewide elections in which the margin between the top two candidates is 0.25% points or fewer. The state has mandatory recounts for U.S. House and other district races in which the margin is 0.5% points or less. The AP may call a statewide or U.S. House race in which the margin between the top two candidates is 0.5% or less, if we determine the lead is too large for a recount to change the outcome. Candidates can request and pay for recounts in races with larger margins.
The AP will not call down-ballot races on election night if the margin between the top two candidates is less than 2% or if the leading candidate is within 2% of the 50% runoff threshold. The AP will revisit those races later in the week to confirm there aren’t enough outstanding votes left to count that could change the outcome.
What did we learn from the primary?
Ryan got about 15,000 more votes than Vance in the primary, but far more Republican votes were cast. While Vance took part in a vicious, seven-way Republican primary, Ryan sailed to victory against two lesser known challengers. Final results showed about 510,000 people voted in the Democratic primary, compared to more than 1 million who voted Republican.
What's changed since the pandemic election of 2020?
Secretary of State Frank LaRose used his executive power to limit secure ballot drop boxes to one per county, despite court challenges by Democrats in 2020 that clarified the elections chief may expand their number and location without legislative approval. A sweeping package of election law changes addressing that and a host of other issues that arose in 2020 is stalled at the Ohio Statehouse, otherwise leaving most election laws as they were.
What do turnout and advance vote look like?
As of Oct. 25, requests for early in-person and absentee ballots totaled 1,076,049, a 1.8% increase over the same point in 2018, the last time statewide elections were held. Of that total, 135,889 Ohioans had voted early in person, while 940,160 had requested an absentee ballot by mail.
How long does vote counting usually take?
Ohio counted 90% of its 2020 GE votes by 11:05 p.m. ET on Nov. 3, and all counties reported counting 100% of ballots by 4:45 a.m. ET the day after.
What are the pitfalls with early returns?
Early returns in Ohio tend to favor Democratic candidates who benefit from voters casting advance votes, either absentee or via early in-person voting.
What happens after Tuesday?
The election team resumes its tabulation, reaching out to counties for reports of the ballots that were tabulated after election night. Any races left uncalled on Nov. 8 will be called, if possible, as additional votes come in.
What's on the ballot?
Governor, Lt. Governor
- Mike DeWine, Jon Husted (R)
- Nan Whaley, Cheryl L. Stephens (D)
U.S. Senator
- Tim Ryan (D)
- JD Vance (R)
Attorney General
- Jeffrey A. Crossman (D)
- Dave Yost (R)
Auditor of State
- Keith Faber (R)
- Taylor Sappington (D)
Secretary of State
- Chelsea Clark (D)
- Frank LaRose (R)
- Terpsehore Tore Maras (I)
Treasurer of State
- Scott Schertzer (D)
- Robert Sprague (R)
Chief Justice of Supreme Court
- Jennifer Brunner (D)
- Sharon L. Kennedy (R)
Justice of Supreme Court
- Pat Fischer (R)
- Terri Jamison (D)
Justice of Supreme Court
- Pat DeWine (R)
- Marilyn Zayas (D)
State Issue 1: The proposed amendment would require courts to consider factors when setting the amount of bail. Those factors include public safety, the seriousness of the crime, the person’s criminal record and the likelihood a person will return to court. It would also remove the requirement that the procedures for establishing the amount and conditions of bail be determined by the Supreme Court of Ohio. Learn more about this issue here.
State Issue 2: The proposed amendment would require that only a United States citizen, who is at least 18 years of age and who has been a legal resident and registered voter for at least 30 days, can vote at any state or local election held in this state. It would also prohibit local governments from allowing a person to vote in local elections if they are not legally qualified to vote in state elections. Learn more about this issue here.
Other issues on the ballot
*Additional local issues and options on the ballot will vary by county.
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