OTTAWA — Putnam County voters backed Republican candidates by wide margins in the Nov. 3, 2026 general election, even as Democrats won most statewide races, according to Associated Press tabulations of unofficial results from the Ohio Secretary of State and county boards of elections. The AP reported 24 of Putnam County’s 25 precincts reporting, about 96 percent, with an estimated 98 percent of the county vote counted. All results remain unofficial until the Putnam County Board of Elections completes its official canvass and certifies them.
In the governor’s race, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy carried Putnam County with 11,681 votes to 2,996 for Democrat Amy Acton and 691 for Libertarian Don Kissick, according to the Associated Press. Acton won the governorship statewide. In the special election for U.S. Senator, Republican Jon Husted carried the county with 11,891 votes to 2,767 for Democrat Sherrod Brown, 438 for Libertarian William Redpath and 301 for independent Greg Levy, according to the Associated Press. Brown won that race statewide.
Putnam County voters also favored the Republican in the secretary of state race, giving Robert Sprague 12,295 votes to 2,619 for Democrat Allison Russo and 379 for Libertarian Tom Pruss, according to the Associated Press. Russo won that office statewide. On State Issue 3, the proposed constitutional amendment to require voter photo identification, Putnam County voted heavily in favor, with 13,299 votes for Yes and 2,000 votes for No, according to the Associated Press. Issue 3 passed statewide.
For Congress, Putnam County is in Ohio’s 9th District under the map adopted in 2025, and county voters favored Republican Derek Merrin with 12,219 votes to 3,042 for Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, according to the Associated Press. Kaptur won re-election district-wide, the Associated Press reported. The county totals in the top races were each roughly 15,300 to 15,400 votes, reflecting the ballots counted in the unofficial canvass so far.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on
What is confirmed is the county-level picture above, from Associated Press tabulations of the unofficial count. What could not be verified from the Putnam County Board of Elections or the Secretary of State in time for this report were Putnam County’s official turnout total and percentage, its county-level votes for attorney general, auditor and treasurer, the Ohio Supreme Court and state legislative races, and any board-posted local results for county commissioner or local levies and issues. No outcome for those races is stated here, and readers should not treat the statewide winners as the county’s choices in those contests. Those figures will come from the board’s official canvass.
What happens next is set by Ohio Secretary of State Directive 2026-48, governing the canvass and certification of this election. Voters who need to cure a deficiency on an absentee or provisional ballot have until Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, with boards open that day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the directive.
The board must begin its official canvass no earlier than Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, and no later than Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, and must complete it and certify results no later than Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2026, according to Directive 2026-48. During the canvass, officials review provisional ballots, count remaining eligible ballots and reconcile the totals before certification makes the results official.