Franklin County voters cast 511,532 ballots in the Nov. 3 general election — 56.45 percent of the county’s 906,091 registered voters, with all 889 precincts reporting — according to the unofficial results released by the Franklin County Board of Elections. Democrat Amy Acton carried the county for governor with 363,745 votes (71.77 percent) to Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s 131,513 (25.95 percent), and Democrat Sherrod Brown led the U.S. Senate race here with 349,983 votes (69.20 percent) to Republican Jon Husted’s 136,999 (27.09 percent), the board’s report shows.
Election Day accounted for 342,614 ballots, early in-person voting for 93,158 and mail absentee for 75,760, according to the Board of Elections. No provisional ballots are counted yet: the board’s Nov. 3 press release says 19,486 provisional ballots remain subject to eligibility review and are not included in the unofficial results, so final turnout will change at the official canvass.
The Democratic sweep in Franklin County ran through the rest of the statewide ballot, according to the board’s report: John J. Kulewicz led for attorney general with 69.94 percent, Allison Russo for secretary of state with 70.11 percent, Seth Walsh for treasurer with 69.78 percent, Annette Blackwell for auditor with 68.34 percent, and Marilyn Zayas (70.40 percent) and Jennifer Brunner (71.04 percent) for the Supreme Court seats. On State Issue 3, the photo ID constitutional amendment, Franklin County voted Yes, 264,435 to 233,295 — 53.13 percent to 46.87 percent — in the board’s county count.
Democrat Joyce Beatty won the 3rd District, entirely inside Franklin County, with 77.22 percent, according to the Board of Elections. In the 15th District, Franklin County’s portion supplied the margin: Democrat Don Leonard took 62.19 percent here, and the board’s district-wide report puts him ahead overall, 148,472 votes (52.15 percent) to Republican Mike Carey’s 127,992 (44.96 percent). Commissioner Erica C. Crawley won with 79.34 percent, and Auditor Michael Stinziano, unopposed, received 367,794 votes.
The closest top race touching Franklin County was State Senate District 3, where the board’s district-wide report shows Democrat Stacie A. Baker ahead of Republican Michele Reynolds by 4,888 votes, 51.88 to 48.12 percent. Local voters split their verdicts, according to the board: Madison Township passed its fire levy (56.10 percent) but rejected its police levy, Upper Arlington’s school issue failed by 629 votes, Bexley’s school issue failed, and South-Western’s bond issue passed in the Franklin County portion (66.20 percent).
What happens next follows Franklin County’s own schedule. Under the Board of Elections’ Nov. 3 press release, military and overseas ballots and provisional-ballot cures can be accepted until 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. The board meets at 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, to decide provisional-ballot eligibility, and it certifies Franklin County’s official results at 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 20 — four days ahead of the Nov. 24 deadline the Ohio Secretary of State’s Directive 2026-48 sets for all 88 county boards. The Secretary of State’s office then reviews county certifications before the final statewide certification.
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