PORT CLINTON — Early voting is under way in Ottawa County, where the Nov. 3 general election ballot is topped by one of the most closely watched congressional races in the country and an unusual cluster of courthouse offices being filled for unexpired terms. Early in-person voting at the Ottawa County Board of Elections in Oak Harbor runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday this week.
The headline race is in the 9th Congressional District, where Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur faces former state Rep. Derek Merrin, a Republican. The Lake Erie shoreline district has drawn national attention and heavy outside interest, and Ottawa County voters — who have backed candidates of both parties in recent cycles — are squarely in its middle.
At the courthouse, voters will elect a county commissioner for the term beginning Jan. 1, 2027. Susan Mulligan of Port Clinton is running for the seat; she was among the local organizers urging turnout at a downtown Port Clinton rally on Oct. 17, where she told the crowd that voting is a superpower and pressed neighbors to vote early at the board of elections.
Three more county offices are being filled for unexpired terms — county engineer, clerk of courts and coroner — an unusual concentration of partial terms on one ballot, alongside the county auditor’s race. Voters will also decide two Common Pleas Court judgeships, including the probate and juvenile division seat, and a seat on the Sixth District Court of Appeals.
State legislative races split the county. Most Ottawa County voters are in the 89th Ohio House District, while voters in Allen and Clay townships cast ballots in the 44th District, according to the board of elections’ election notice. Township, village and school questions vary by precinct, and voters can preview their own sample ballot through the board of elections lookup before voting.
Above the local races, Ottawa County voters will also help decide Ohio’s statewide contests — governor, attorney general, auditor, secretary of state and treasurer, two seats on the Ohio Supreme Court, the U.S. Senate race between Republican Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown, and statewide Issue 3, the proposed constitutional amendment that would require voters to present photo identification in order to vote. The Senate race is for an unexpired term ending Jan. 3, 2029.
Early voting hours expand in the final week: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26, 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, Oct. 28 to 30, with weekend hours on Saturday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a final Sunday session on Nov. 1 from 1 to 5 p.m. Voters must bring an accepted photo ID, such as an Ohio driver’s license, a state ID card or a U.S. passport. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Photo: LeeG7144, CC BY-SA 3.0