Ohio Voters Head to Polls for Competitive Midterm Contests

Voters in Ohio began casting ballots at 6:30 a.m. today for the state’s midterm elections, with polls scheduled to close at 7:30 p.m. ET. The day determines the outcome for a U.S. Senate seat, the governor’s office, the state legislature, and all 15 seats in Ohio’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives. It also includes local offices across the 88 counties in the state.

The 2026 cycle features some of the most competitive and expensive races in the nation. For Democrats, the outcome in Ohio is critical for their efforts to retake control of Congress from Republicans. The state has shifted toward the right in recent years, but current polling indicates a tight contest for the Senate. Republicans have controlled the governor’s office and the state legislature for more than a decade, and President Donald Trump carried the state in the last three presidential elections.

In the special Senate election, Republican incumbent Jon Husted faces Democrat Sherrod Brown. Husted was appointed to the seat in 2025 by then-Gov. Mike DeWine to fill the vacancy left by JD Vance when he became vice president. Brown previously held the state’s other Senate seat for three terms until 2025, when he lost a close race to Sen. Bernie Moreno. The winner will serve the remaining two years of the term. Husted received an endorsement from President Trump, while Brown has focused his campaign on the cost of living and the president’s war in Iran.

Brown has linked rising gas prices to the conflict in Iran and criticized Husted for voting against war powers resolutions. Husted stated in September that the war needs to end quickly to lower gas prices. Brown also targeted Husted’s support for data center projects during his time as lieutenant governor. The Senate race has drawn heavy spending, with Brown raising over $68.4 million as of mid-October compared to Husted’s $19.9 million. Outside groups have spent hundreds of millions of dollars more on both sides.

The gubernatorial race pits Democrat Amy Acton, a physician, against Vivek Ramaswamy, a billionaire biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate. Acton, who served as Ohio’s public health director early in the pandemic, has faced scrutiny over her previous public health measures. Ramaswamy defended his campaign’s decision to air an ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother calling her a liar. Trump supported Ramaswamy after the ad gained national attention, while DeWine asked for it to be removed. Ramaswamy announced on Thursday that the ad’s planned run was finished.

Several U.S. House races have become more competitive following mid-decade redistricting. In the 9th Congressional District in northwest Ohio, Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur is defending the seat she has held since 1983. She is running against Derek Merrin, a former state House member and real estate investor. Kaptur won the 2024 race by less than one percentage point. In the 7th Congressional District in northeast Ohio, Republican Rep. Max Miller faces Brian Poindexter, a union organizer and ironworker. Miller, who won comfortably in 2022, is facing pressure after his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, alleged he abused her. Her father, Sen. Bernie Moreno, and Husted have asked Miller to drop out.

Approximately 35% of votes in the 2022 Ohio Senate race were cast early or by absentee ballot. All 88 counties typically release their early and absentee results in the first vote update of the night, often before in-person Election Day results are available. In the 2024 election, the first results appeared at 7:36 p.m. ET, six minutes after polls closed. The state reached 50% of reported votes at 9:01 p.m. ET and 90% at 11:03 p.m. ET.

The Associated Press will declare a winner only when it determines there is no scenario allowing a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race is not called, the AP will continue covering developments such as concessions or victory declarations while clarifying that it has not yet declared a winner. Voters can locate their polling places through online resources provided by election officials.