WOOSTER — Early in-person voting is under way at the Wayne County Board of Elections in Wooster, and the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election ballot carries no countywide tax levy — instead, voters will sort through school income taxes, township questions and a long list of charter amendments in Norton and Rittman.
The county offices on the ballot are all unopposed. Republican Jonathan Hofstetter is the only candidate for county commissioner for the term beginning Jan. 1, after winning a contested Republican primary against David Kiefer. Republican Russell Robertson is unopposed for county auditor, and Latecia Eileen Wiles is unopposed for judge of the Probate and Juvenile Court.
School questions lead the issues list. Chippewa Local Schools seeks a 1 percent income tax for five years for current expenses, Orrville City Schools seeks a 1 percent income tax for five years, and Triway Local Schools seeks a 0.75 percent income tax for three years. Dalton Local Schools asks to renew a 2-mill levy for five years for permanent improvements, Northwestern Local Schools asks to renew a fixed-sum levy averaging an estimated 1.8 mills — $63 per $100,000 of market value — for five years, and the Wayne County Joint Vocational School District asks to renew a 0.5-mill levy — $11 per $100,000 — for five years for permanent improvements.
Township and village questions include a proposed additional 1.5-mill Wooster Township levy for a fire and EMS building, a 2.5-mill Canaan Township levy for fire and EMS, renewals in Chester and Clinton townships, two renewal levies in the Village of Burbank, and a Smithville ordinance repealing the village’s photo traffic enforcement program. Voters in Doylestown and Chippewa Township will also decide whether to form a merger commission, and Norton and Rittman voters face a series of charter amendments.
The contested action is in the legislative and appellate races. In the 31st Ohio Senate District, Republican Al Landis faces Democrat Laura Sirot, a College of Wooster biology professor. In the 77th Ohio House District, Republican Meredith Craig faces Democrat Brooke Dillon. Two 9th District Court of Appeals seats are contested — Betty Sutton against Cynthia Curtin, and Tavia Galonski against Nathan Manning — and the county is split between the 6th Congressional District, where Republican Michael A. Rulli faces Democrat Elizabeth Kirtley, and the 7th, where Republican Max Miller faces Democrat Brian Poindexter.
Statewide, Ohio voters will choose a governor — Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, Democrat Amy Acton or Libertarian Don Kissick — and decide a U.S. Senate race between Republican Jon Husted, Democrat Sherrod Brown and Libertarian William B. Redpath. Also on the ballot are attorney general (Keith Faber vs. John J. Kulewicz), auditor of state (Frank LaRose vs. Annette Blackwell), secretary of state (Robert Sprague vs. Allison Russo), treasurer of state (Jay Edwards vs. Seth Walsh), two Ohio Supreme Court seats, and State Issue 3, a proposed constitutional amendment that would require photo identification to vote.
Early in-person voting continues at the board of elections office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays through Oct. 23, then expands: Saturday, Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 26 from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Oct. 28–30 from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 1 from 1 to 5 p.m. Absentee ballot applications are due by 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 27, and voted absentee ballots must be received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Voters must show photo identification, and polls will be open Tuesday, Nov. 3 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.