Licking County voters turned out at a rate of 59.47% in the November 3 general election, casting 74,969 ballots out of 126,066 registered voters, according to the unofficial canvass posted by the Licking County Board of Elections. All 96 of the county’s precincts have reported, and the results remain unofficial until the board completes its official canvass and certifies them later this month.
In the county’s most closely watched local race, Republican Mark Van Buren defeated Democrat Mary “Kathy” McLeish for a seat on the Licking County Board of Commissioners, according to the final unofficial results reported by The Columbus Dispatch. Van Buren took about 59% of the vote, 42,842 ballots to McLeish’s 29,231, after all precincts reported.
At the top of the ticket, Licking County backed Republican Vivek Ramaswamy for governor with 38,668 votes, or 52.12%, over Democrat Amy Acton, who received 32,437 votes, or 43.72%, in the county’s unofficial tally. The Newark Advocate reported that Acton’s showing narrowed the countywide gap compared with recent midterm cycles, even as Ramaswamy carried the county.
Voters in two Licking County communities also approved charter amendments aimed at large data centers. In Pataskala, the amendment passed 5,418 to 1,941, or 73.62%, and in Granville it passed 2,015 to 429, or 82.45%, according to the county results posted through the Ohio Secretary of State’s board of elections portal. The measures were among a series of data center questions decided across central Ohio on November 3.
For Congress, the unofficial canvass shows Republican Troy Balderson leading Democrat Jarrad Christian in the 12th District, with Balderson receiving 43,451 votes in Licking County to Christian’s 30,356. In the 69th Ohio House District, Republican Kevin D. Miller received 17,097 Licking County votes to Democrat Amy Rigsby’s 7,203 in the unofficial canvass.
Under Ohio Secretary of State Directive 2026-48, county boards must begin the official canvass between November 8 and November 18 and must certify official results no later than Tuesday, November 24. Totals can shift slightly during the canvass as any remaining eligible ballots are counted. Once Licking County certifies, its results become the official record for the commissioner race, the data center amendments, and every other contest on the county’s ballot.
Photo: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0