Summit County

Three at-large seats on the 11-member council are up; Walters, Donofrio and Dickinson hold them now. We pick all three Democrats. The county executive, prosecutor, sheriff, fiscal officer and clerk of courts are not on this year's ballot.

Only Hudson's Ward 2 voters see this race. It fills the rest of the term of Chris Foster, who resigned in 2025. The race is nonpartisan.

Court of Common Pleas, General Division: Tania Nemer vs. Tammy O'Brien; Alison McCarty vs. Job Esau Perry; Kate A. Makra vs. Mary Margaret Rowlands; Christine L. Croce vs. John Galonski; Joe Darwal vs. Joy Malek Oldfield; Kelly L. McLaughlin is unopposed. Juvenile: Amy Corrigall Jones vs. David Lombardi. Domestic Relations: Katarina Cook vs. Lisa Dean. Probate: Steve Elliott vs. Diana Stevenson. These appear without party labels. The 9th District Court of Appeals races do carry party labels: Betty Sutton (D) vs. Cynthia Curtin (R), and Tavia Galonski (D) vs. Nathan Manning (R) for a term ending in 2029. We haven't profiled judges yet; Signal Akron's judge questionnaires cover most of them.

Fills the rest of JD Vance's term, through January 2029. Husted was appointed to the seat in January 2025. Stephen Faris, Anthony Holliman and Timothy Telymonde are registered write-in candidates.

Open seat: Gov. Mike DeWine is term-limited. Governor and lieutenant governor are elected together as a ticket. Four write-in tickets are also registered: Timothy Grady / Andrea Neutzling, Renea Turner / Jalen Turner, Ron Ula / Michael C. Lehnerd, and Heather Hill / Patrick Manley.

Open seat. Dave Yost resigned in June 2026, and Gov. DeWine appointed Andy Wilson to serve out the term; Wilson is not on the ballot.

Open seat: Frank LaRose is term-limited and running for auditor. The secretary of state runs Ohio elections.

Open seat: Keith Faber is running for attorney general.

Open seat: Robert Sprague is running for secretary of state. Both candidates carry a question mark; we lean toward Walsh.

Since 2022 Ohio prints a party label next to Supreme Court candidates and nominates them in party primaries. Republicans wrote that law to help their candidates, and Republican nominees run on it, so we count the Republican label against a justice. We don't hold the label against Democrats, who opposed the change and have to run under it.

Same rule as the race above: we count the Republican party label against a justice, not the Democratic one. Brunner sued to overturn the party-label law.

We describe what the issue does and don't make recommendations. It is Ohio's only statewide issue this year, put on the ballot by the Republican-led legislature.

• Issue 3, photo ID to vote: Writes Ohio's existing photo ID requirement for voting into the state constitution. In-person voters would need an unexpired Ohio driver's license or state ID, a U.S. passport, or a military or VA ID. Mail voters could use a photo ID or, where state law allows, a signature plus another identifier. It changes nothing right away, but repealing or loosening the rule would then take another statewide vote. A yes vote adds it to the constitution; a no vote leaves photo ID as an ordinary state law.

The district takes in all of Summit County and parts of Portage and Stark counties. Kevin Coughlin, who lost to Sykes in 2024, isn't running; Coleman won the May Republican primary with just over 47%.

Covers northern and western Summit County suburbs, including Twinsburg, Macedonia, Norton and Bath and Copley townships, plus Portage County. It's an open seat.

An open seat in Akron's suburbs, rated competitive.

Southern Summit County and eastern Akron. Popovic won the Democratic primary as a write-in and has no record to judge; we pick him over a compromised incumbent.

An open seat; Demetriou is running for state Senate.

Would let renters pay security deposits over three or six months, require landlords to tell them so, and ban application fees and other charges before a lease is signed, with criminal penalties for violations. It and Issue 12 reached the ballot by petition, in a drive led by Freedom BLOC and the Akron NAACP; landlord and real estate groups oppose both, and Mayor Shammas Malik has urged a no vote. Signal Akron. Ballot language.

Would put Akron's existing anti-discrimination protections in the charter and bar landlords and sellers from turning people away for arrests, convictions or time in prison, except sex and arson offenders. It gives the Akron Civil Rights Commission jurisdiction over housing discrimination claims. Signal Akron. Ballot language.

Would reduce the number of Citizens' Police Oversight Board members City Council appoints, have the board pick a third of its members from a list drawn up by civil rights groups, set deadlines for the mayor, police chief and council to answer the independent police auditor, and give the auditor subpoena power. Signal Akron. Ballot language.

A $96.2 million bond for a new elementary school and transportation building and other repairs, repaid over up to 37 years. Estimated at 4.26 mills, or $149 a year per $100,000 of market value. Ballot language.

A new 5.5-mill tax for operating costs for five years, raising about $6.1 million a year at $193 per $100,000 of market value. Ballot language.

Renews a fixed-sum levy that raises $4.6 million a year for operating costs, for five years. Estimated at 3.17 mills, or $97 per $100,000. Ballot language.

New taxes on residents' earned income for operating costs: 1% in Barberton City Schools for five years (Issue 5), 0.75% in Norton City Schools with no end date (Issue 7), and 1% in Tallmadge City Schools with no end date (Issue 9). Ballot language.

Only voters in the part of Summit County served by the Stark library system see this. Renews 2 mills and adds 0.3 mill for eight years, at $55 per $100,000. Ballot language.

Charter amendments in Barberton (Issues 17 to 19, including one making city elections nonpartisan), Green (21 to 26), Norton (29 to 33, including mayor and council raises), Stow (35 to 37, plus Issue 34 raising the mayor's, law director's and finance director's pay to $100,000) and Mogadore (42 to 45). Road levies in Munroe Falls (28), Boston Heights (40), Bath Township (48), Northfield Center Township (54) and Twinsburg Township (56); fire levies in Boston Heights (41), Mogadore (46), Copley Township (49), Coventry Township (51) and Springfield Township (55); a 0.25% Boston Heights income tax for safety services (39); Coventry police and operating renewals (50, 52, 53); Hudson natural gas aggregation (27); a Twinsburg rezoning on Post Road (38); a Peninsula advisory vote on banning short-term rentals unless the owner lives on site (47); and Sunday or store liquor sales questions in Akron 4-F and 6-C and Cuyahoga Falls 4-C (14 to 16, 20). Check your sample ballot. Full list and ballot language.