Voter guide: What's on the 2024 ballot in Columbus

• Plus there's the presidential contest and key local elections.

How to vote

Act fast — Monday, Oct. 7, is the deadline to register to vote.

• Follow this link to register, check your status or update your voting address.
• View your sample ballot.

📆 Early and absentee voting begins Tuesday, Oct. 8.

🗳 To vote early in person: Visit your county's board of elections on a weekday between 8am-5pm.

• Voting hours will be extended starting Oct. 21.

✉️ To vote by mail: Call the board of elections and ask for an absentee ballot application to be mailed to you. (You may already have one.) Or print an application yourself.

• Mail that completed form to the board of elections or drop it off by Oct. 29 to receive your ballot.
• Completed ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 4 or hand-delivered to the board of elections by 7:30pm Nov. 5.

🇺🇸 Election Day voting: Polling places will be open Nov. 5 from 6:30am-7:30pm. Find your location.

• Ohio law now requires a photo ID to vote in person.

U.S. Senate

All eyes are on this toss-up race that could decide which party controls the Senate next year.

• Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is seeking his fourth term and faces Republican challenger Bernie Moreno, an entrepreneur from Northeast Ohio.

• About $390 million had been spent or reserved for ads in Ohio's Senate race as of mid-September, the most of any Senate contest in the country.

Go deeper: Ohio has the priciest Senate race this cycle

President

Vice President Kamala Harris (Democrat) will face former President Trump (Republican) in what's expected to be a nail-biter race nationally.

• Also on the ballot: Chase Oliver (Libertarian Party), Peter Sonski (American Solidarity Party) and Richard Duncan (independent).
• Former candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew from the Ohio ballot, while votes for Green Party candidate Jill Stein will not count because of a missed nomination deadline.

Statewide redistricting amendment

An Ohio constitutional amendment proposes to again change the system for drawing state and federal legislative maps to curb gerrymandering.

Flashback: Under processes approved by voters in 2015 and 2018, a commission of seven elected officials is responsible for drafting and approving maps.

• Yes, but: The commission's work has been controversial. The Ohio Supreme Court repeatedly ruled in 2022 that its redrawn maps were unconstitutionally gerrymandered to favor Republicans.

State of play: The amendment would create a new Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission made up of five Republicans, five Democrats and five independents.

• Current and recent political officeholders, candidates, party officials and lobbyists are among those ineligible to serve on the commission.

Go deeper: Ohioans will again vote on redistricting reform

Ohio Supreme Court

Three Ohio Supreme Court seats will be decided this year, which could affect the court's political leaning and have ramifications on pivotal issues from reproductive rights to the environment.

Catch up quick: Partisan labels were added to Supreme Court general elections in 2021.

Zoom in: Incumbent Democratic Justice Michael P. Donnelly faces Republican challenger Megan E. Shanahan, a judge in Hamilton County.

• Incumbent Democrat Melody J. Stewart will face incumbent Republican Joseph T. Deters, who vacated his appointed seat to run against Stewart.
• Democrat Lisa Forbes, of the 8th District Court of Appeals, and Republican Daniel R. Hawkins, a judge in Franklin County, are running for Deters' old seat.

LinkUs sales tax increase

An $8 billion proposal to improve local public transportation and infrastructure will move forward if voters approve a sales tax increase for Franklin County and some surrounding communities.

Catch up quick: The LinkUs plan would create five rapid transit bus corridors, including routes along West Broad and East Main streets as well as one connecting Columbus to Dublin.

• It would also fund new sidewalks, bikeways and trails spanning 150 miles, among other projects.

Follow the money: Most of the Central Ohio Transit Authority's funding comes from an existing 0.5% sales tax.

• This ballot item would double the tax to 1%.

Who will vote: All of Franklin County and voters living in the portions of contiguous counties that COTA serves.

Go deeper: Augmented reality shows LinkUs transit plans

Local school levies and other issues

Franklin County voters will decide lots of local ballot items in November that could raise your property tax bill.

Pro tip: Use this calculator from the county auditor to see the proposals on your ballot and how they would affect your taxes if they're approved.

Issues we're watching:

👶 An increase to a countywide levy supporting Franklin County Children Services.

🏊 A new outdoor pool in Worthington, to be funded by a bond.

🚧 Bonds for construction in the Grandview Heights, Groveport Madison, Hilliard, New Albany and Westerville school districts.

• Hilliard and Westerville's proposals are paired with a new operating levy.

🎒 New operating levies for Bexley and Reynoldsburg schools.

📚 New operating levies for the Southwest and Westerville libraries.

🚒 Several townships have levies to fund police and fire services.

🔌 Blendon Township is proposing an aggregation program for residents' electricity and natural gas services.

💰 Lockbourne wants to raise its village income tax from 1% to 2.5%.

Go deeper: The full list of local issues, including liquor options.

Franklin County elections roundup

🏛 Prosecutor: Columbus City Council member Shayla D. Favor, a Democrat, is vying to become the first Black prosecutor in county history.

• Republican attorney John P. M. Rutan is also campaigning for the open seat left by Democratic incumbent Gary Tyack's retirement.

💵 Treasurer: Democrat Cheryl Brooks Sullivan is campaigning for another term against Libertarian challenger Drake Lundstrom and write-in candidate Sina Draughn.

🛠 Engineer: This county office is among the last held by a Republican, though acting Engineer Brad Foster dropped out of the race for a full term under disputed circumstances.

• That leaves Democrat Adam W. Fowler as the only candidate.

U.S. House District 3

This Franklin County district includes most of northern and eastern Columbus, along with the suburbs of Worthington, Westerville, New Albany, Gahanna, Whitehall, Bexley and Reynoldsburg.

• Incumbent Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty seeks her seventh term.

Republican challenger Michael Young is a pilot and U.S. Air Force veteran.

U.S. House District 15

This local district includes western and southern Franklin County (Hilliard, Grove City, Dublin and parts of Columbus) along with five counties to the west.

• Incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Carey seeks his second full term after winning a special election in 2021.
• Democratic challenger Adam Miller is a state representative of Columbus' Far West Side.

Statehouse races

All 99 Ohio House seats and about half of the Ohio Senate's 33 seats are up for election this year.

State of play: The legislative maps are changing next term and the new districts are reflected on this year's ballot.

• Find your House and Senate districts by filtering for "2025 Districts" with your address.