Ohio Voter Guide Key Races
Ohio is getting a lot of national attention in this year's election, but not like it did when it used to be a battleground state in the presidential election.
The U.S. Senate race between Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and businessman Republican Bernie Moreno could decide control of the U.S. Senate. Ohio Sen. JD Vance is on the Republican ticket as former President Donald Trump's pick for vice president. Trump defeated President Joe Biden in Ohio by more than 8 points in 2020, the first time Ohio went with the losing national candidate since 1960. Most experts don't expect the state to be in play this year in the presidential race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Also on the ballot in Ohio are three Ohio Supreme Court seats. The current court has a 4-3 Republican majority. Voters in Ohio will also decide the fate of State Issue 1 which would change how the state draws legislative lines for Congress, the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives.
Here's a look at the major candidates and issues on your ballot:
Ohio U.S. Senate
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, was first elected in 2006, unseating then-Sen. Mike DeWine in a wave year for Democrats across the country. Brown was re-elected in 2012 and 2018, but this year is different. For the first time in his career, Brown is on the ballot the same day as former President Donald Trump, who won Ohio easily in 2016 and 2020.
Brown is facing Republican businessman Bernie Moreno in one of the most-watched, and expensive, races in the nation that could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.
Libertarian candidate Don Kissick is also on the ballot.
Learn more about the U.S. Senate candidates
Ohio Supreme Court (Seat 1)
Cleveland Democrat Lisa Forbes, an 8th District Appellate Court judge, and Columbus Republican Dan Hawkins, a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge are vying for a seat left open by Justice Joe Deters' decision to run against his colleague, Justice Melody Stewart.
The winner of the Forbes-Hawkins race will serve two years and then run again in 2026.
Learn more about the Ohio Supreme Court candidates Lisa Forbes and Dan Hawkins
Ohio Supreme Court (Seat 2)
Mike Donnelly a Cleveland Democrat who has served on the Ohio Supreme Court since 2019, is running for reelection against Megan Shanahan, a Cincinnati Republican. They are from opposite ends of the state and the political spectrum. The two are duking it out statewide in a run for the Ohio Supreme Court.
Learn more about the Ohio Supreme Court candidates Mike Donnelly and Megan Shanahan
Ohio Supreme Court (Seat 3)
In January 2023, Cincinnati Republican Joe Deters traded his long-time job as Hamilton County prosecutor for a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court but rather than run to hold the seat the governor appointed him to, Deters is challenging a colleague in this year's election.
In an unusual move pitting two sitting justices to run against each other, Deters opted to run for a full six-year term against Justice Melody Stewart, a Cleveland Democrat.
Learn more about the Ohio Supreme Court candidates Joe Deters and Melody Stewart
Ohio Issue 1
Issue 1 on Ohio's November ballot would change the way the state draws district maps for Congress, the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate.
The constitutional amendment before voters would replace the current politician-run redistricting commission with a 15-member citizen commission of five Republicans, five Democrats and five independents. Members couldn't be elected officials, lobbyists or political consultants.