CINCINNATI — It's Election Day! Here's everything voters in Ohio need to know before heading to the polls this Tuesday.
Need to Know
Ohio's general midterm election is Nov. 8, 2022. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. local time on Election Day. Anyone in line at 7:30 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
Voters must provide proof of identification which includes a photo and name. The ID could be issued by the U.S.; the state of Ohio; the Department of Defense; a private or public college or university; or any city or county government.
To find your polling location for both early voting and Election Day voting, click here.
On Election Day, you can get live updates for all election results here.
Gubernatorial Race
Mike DeWine
Gov. DeWine has held office since 2019 and has a long political record. He served as Greene County's prosecutor from 1977 to 1981. From there, he became an Ohio senator, representing the 10th district from 1980 to 1982.
He was then elected to congress and represented Ohio's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1991. He served as Lt. Governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1994, U.S. Senator from 1995 to 2007 and, most recently, Ohio's attorney general from 2011 to 2019.
The Yellow Springs native is running with Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who served as Ohio Secretary of State before joining DeWine.
DeWine’s platform points include:
- bringing more jobs to Ohio,
- investing in local law enforcement and
- treating mental health and addiction.
For more information on DeWine's political views, click here.
Nan Whaley
Many folks in the Tri-state are familiar with Whaley. She was elected Dayton’s mayor in 2013. She ran unopposed in 2017 — the first time in the city’s history a mayoral race ran uncontested.
Whaley became known to a wider audience in 2019, when a shooter killed nine people and hurt several others at a bar in Dayton. This is her second time running for governor. Whaley announced her candidacy in 2017, but dropped out in January 2018.
Cheryl Stephens, a council member in Cuyahoga County and CEO of the East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation, is Whaley's running mate.
Whaley’s platform points include:
- combating corruption,
- fighting for paid family leave for all Ohioans and
- investing in Ohio’s Appalachian Communities.
For more information on Whaley's political views, click here.
U.S. Senate
Tim Ryan
Tim Ryan is the Democratic candidate hoping to fill outgoing Sen. Rob Portman's seat.
Ryan has served 10 terms as a U.S. Representative for Ohio’s 13th district. He served on the House Appropriations Committee, which controls federal spending. He’s also the co-chairman of the Congressional Manufacturing Caucus. In previous years, Ryan served in the Ohio State Senate.
His platform points include:
- growing the U.S. economy,
- expanding access to quality education,
- family farming (which he’s written a book about) and
- increasing health care access.
For more information on Ryan's political views, click here.
J.D. Vance
Vance, who bills himself as a “conservative outsider,” nabbed former President Trump’s endorsement in the Republican primary despite his previous negative comments on Trump and his supporters.
The venture capitalist and Marine Corps veteran, Vance was brought to prominence to a wider audience after releasing his book Hillbilly Elegy, which Netflix turned into a movie in 2020.
A Middletown native, Vance is pushing that he would be an "independent" voice for Ohioans. He said during a town hall hosted by FOX News that he believes the 2020 election was stolen from then-President Donald Trump.
Vance’s platform points include:
- restoring America’s manufacturing base,
- raising taxes on companies that send jobs overseas and
- addressing inflation.
For more information on Vance's political views, click here.
U.S. Representative
Ohio's First Congressional District
Steve Chabot
Incumbent Steve Chabot has been a representative for Ohio's 1st congressional district since 2011. Before that, he served as the district's representative from 1995 to 2009.
Chabot currently serves as the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation and a senior member on the House Judiciary Committee.
A Cincinnati native, Chabot was previously a city council member and Hamilton County commissioner.
Chabot's platform points include:
- cutting national spending,
- limiting the scope and size of the federal government and
- cooperation in international affairs.
Greg Landsman
After five years as a Cincinnati city council member, Greg Landsman is running for the U.S. House of Representatives.
The former public school teacher was born and raised in the Greater Cincinnati area. Following teaching, Landsman served as Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland's director of faith-based and community initiatives. He then ran the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and returned to education as the executive director of StriveParternship.
As a councilman, Landsman created city hall's Office of Ethics and Good Government and the Balanced Development Scorecard in an attempt to hold public officials accountable.
Landsman's platform points include:
- advocating for abortion and reproductive health rights,
- bettering worker wages and benefits and
- addressing inflation.
For more information on Landsman's political views, click here.
Ohio's Second Congressional District
Brad Wenstrup
Republican Brad Wenstrup is running for reelection.
A Cincinnati native, Wenstrup was elected to serve in the House of Representatives in 2012. He is a graduate of both St. Xavier High School and the University of Cincinnati. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve and worked as a podiatric physician.
Recently Wenstrup was in the news after his niece was among those killed in a stampede during a Halloween celebration in South Korea. Anne Gieske, a Beechwood High School graduate and nursing student at the University of Kentucky, was studying abroad with an education program when she died.
Wenstrup's platform points include:
- helping promote agriculture,
- addressing the national debt crisis and
- ensuring troops have the resources they need.
For more information on Wenstrup's political views, click here.
Samantha Meadows
Former EMT Samantha Meadows is hoping to knock off incumbent Wenstrup.
Meadows' campaign has focused on the importance of fighting gun violence. She mentions Wenstrup's support of the Second Amendment, saying "protecting our children from gun violence is a display of great strength."
In addition to working as an EMT, Meadows said she has been an end-of-life companion, AmeriCorps member and Volunteers in Service to America volunteer.
Meadows' platform points include:
- ensuring social security remains intact,
- advocating for abortion rights and
- supporting fair wages and worker protections.
For more information on Meadows' political views, click here.
Ohio's Eighth Congressional District
Warren Davidson
Congressman Warren Davidson has represented Ohio's 8th congressional district since 2016.
The former military officer is a member of the House Financial Services Committee, where he said he focuses on growing the U.S. economy and limiting "runaway government expansion."
After his service in the military, the Sidney native attended the University of Notre Day for his MBA, later running his family's business. He represents the district once represented by House Speaker John Boehner.
Davidson's platform points include:
- reforming the health care system,
- securing the border and
- growing the U.S. economy.
For more information on Davidson's political views,click here.
Vanessa Enoch
Democrat Vanessa Enoch is hoping to be the first Democrat to win in Ohio's 8th congressional district in 85 years.
Enoch is a public policy and business consultant who most recently worked with lawmakers on addressing issues in the criminal justice system. She received a degree in criminal justice from Ohio State and has a Ph.D. in public policy and social change.
A West Chester resident, Enoch also worked as a college professor for nearly 20 years.
Enoch's platform points include:
- addressing gerrymandering in Ohio,
- attaining racial equity and
- protecting the right to vote.
For more information on Enoch's political views, click here.
Statewide Issues
Ohio Issue 1
Should judges be required to consider public safety when setting bail amounts? Issue 1 would amend the state constitution and require Ohio courts to consider public safety, the person's criminal record, the likelihood the accused will return to court and any other factors decided by the Ohio General Assembly when setting bail.
In January, a majority on the Ohio Supreme Court sided with current state law, prohibiting a court from setting excessive bail. Bail is considered unconstitutional when the amount is much higher than necessary to make sure the accused person will return for their court date. Voters will be asked to say "yes" or "no" to the amendment.
Ohio Issue 2
Issue 2 will determine if non-citizens can vote in hyper-local elections. At this time, non-citizens cannot vote anywhere in Ohio. This is a preemptive amendment following a ballot issue in Yellow Springs where the village's 3,800 people voted in 2019 to allow their non-citizen residents to vote in local elections only.
While 60% of voters supported allowing their 30 non-citizen taxpayers to vote for mayor and council, Secretary of State Frank LaRose stopped the county from allowing it, saying only Americans should be allowed to vote.
Residents must vote "yes" or "no" to passing the amendment.
Other key races
Secretary of State
Incumbent Frank LaRose is running for reelection against Democratic challenger Chelsea Clark and Terpsehore Tore Maras, who is running as an independent.
Maras, a podcaster who denies the result of the 2020 election, was reinstated to the ballot after being denied by the Secretary of State team after some of her signatures were deemed "invalid."
Ohio Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court garnered national attention during the ongoing redistricting battle. Three seats are available. To learn more about the importance of the Supreme Court races, click here.
EDITOR'S NOTE: An original version of this story erroneously reported Ohio's poll opening times, conflating them with Kentucky's. We regret the error.
