MANSFIELD — Richland County’s Nov. 3 general election is counted, unofficially, and making it official is underway. The Richland County Board of Elections’ unofficial canvass reported all 83 of the county’s 83 precincts, with 44,623 ballots cast out of 77,903 registered voters — turnout of 57.28%, according to the board’s election summary report, which counted 24,933 ballots on Election Day, 4,732 by mail and 14,920 cast early.
Richland County backed the Republican nominees in the two marquee statewide races even as Democrats won both contests statewide. For governor, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy carried Richland County with 26,531 votes, or 60.36%, to 15,626, or 35.55%, for Democrat Amy Acton and 1,791 for Libertarian Don Kissick, according to the board’s unofficial canvass — the opposite of Acton’s statewide victory. In the U.S. Senate race, Republican Jon Husted took 26,596 Richland County votes, or 60.36%, to 15,058, or 34.17%, for Democrat Sherrod Brown, with Libertarian William Redpath at 1,568 and independent Greg Levy at 842, according to the board. The Associated Press tabulation of Richland County’s results showed the same vote totals in both races, and Brown won the Senate seat statewide.
State Issue 3, the constitutional amendment requiring photo identification to vote, passed easily in Richland County and statewide. Richland voters said yes by 34,270 votes to 9,816, or 77.73% to 22.27%, according to the board’s unofficial canvass. The board’s report also showed Richland voters favoring the Republican candidates in every other statewide contest on the ballot.
In the county’s own contested races, Republican incumbent Cliff Mears won another term as commissioner, defeating Democrat Mark Kaufmann by 28,818 votes to 14,475, or 66.57% to 33.43%, according to the board. Probate Judge Kelly Badnell retained her seat with 21,716 votes, or 58.83%, to 15,200 for Robert Franco, and Republican state Rep. Marilyn John kept the 76th Ohio House District seat with 28,606 votes, or 65.54%, to 15,038 for Democrat Colton Stidam, according to the board.
School money questions fared poorly in the board’s count. Lexington’s 4.8-mill renewal levy trailed 3,934 votes against to 3,805 in favor, and its proposed 0.75% earned income tax trailed 5,206 against to 2,540 in favor, according to the board’s report. Because the Lexington district also extends into Morrow County, the Mansfield News Journal reported voters in the two counties combined also rejected both issues in final, unofficial totals.
None of these numbers is final yet. Under Secretary of State Directive 2026-48, governing this election’s canvass and certification, boards may process cured absentee ballots and military and overseas ballots arriving after Election Day before the official canvass starts, but those ballots are not counted until the canvass begins. The Secretary of State’s Election Official Manual notes results cannot be certified until after the post-election cure period, four days after Election Day, has ended.
What happens next is set by state deadlines. The Secretary of State’s office says county boards begin the official canvass between five and 15 days after Election Day — Nov. 8 through Nov. 18 — and must certify no later than 21 days after Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2026. Richland County expects to finish sooner: board director Matt Finfgeld told the Mansfield News Journal the county’s results will be certified Nov. 13. County certifications are then reviewed by the Secretary of State’s office before final statewide certification.
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