Everything you need to know about Ohio's May primary

COLUMBUS, Ohio — With the 2026 primary coming up shortly, we created an election guide on everything you need to know about the May 5 election.

If this guide is missing any candidate, please email Statehouse reporter Morgan Trau at morgan.trau@wews.com with the subject line "2026 PRIMARY GUIDE UPDATE."

Ohio primaries are partisan but open, meaning voters do not have to register as one political party before the election. Ohio only recognizes two major and one minor party: Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians. However, voters who wish to remain unaffiliated can vote on nonpartisan ballot questions and issues.

Not every race has a competitive primary election. If an individual doesn't have a primary opponent, they will appear on the general election ballot in November, as well as the May primary.

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by last name. Independent candidates will not be on the primary ballot.

(i) indicates incumbent. N/A indicates no qualifying candidate. A * before a race means that there is no competitive primary, yet candidates will still appear on the May ballot.

Statewide races

U.S. Senate
Democratic: Sherrod Brown, Ron Kincaid
Republican: Jon Husted (i)
Libertarian: Jeffrey Kanter, William Redpath

Governor and lieutenant governor
Democratic: Amy Acton with David Pepper
Republican: Casey Putsch with Kimberly Georgeton, Vivek Ramaswamy with Rob McColley, ****Heather Hill with Stuart Moats
Libertarian: Donald C. Kissick with James L. Mills

****Please note, any votes for Republican candidate Heather Hill, who will be on the ballot, will be void. Her running mate, Stuart Moats, withdrew from the race.

RELATED: Ohio gubernatorial candidate with rifle invites Ramaswamy to play 'Cowboys and Indians'

Attorney General
Democratic: Elliott Forhan, John J. Kulewicz
Republican: Keith Faber
Libertarian: N/A

Secretary of State
Democratic: Bryan Hambley, Allison Russo
Republican: Robert Sprague, Marcell Strbich
Libertarian: Tom Pruss

RELATED: They're running for Ohio secretary of state. Get to know the candidates.

*State Auditor
Democratic: Annette Blackwell
Republican: Frank LaRose
Libertarian: N/A

State Treasurer
Democratic: Seth Walsh
Republican: Jay Edwards, Kristina Roegner
Libertarian: N/A

*Ohio Supreme Court: Seat 1
Democratic: Marilyn Zayas
Republican: Daniel R. Hawkins (i)
Libertarian: N/A

Ohio Supreme Court: Seat 2
Democratic: Jennifer Brunner (i)
Republican: Andrew King, Jill Lanzinger, Ronald Lewis, Colleen O'Donnell
Libertarian: N/A

Regional races

U.S. House of Representatives

District 1 – Clinton, Hamilton (part), Warren
Democratic: Greg Landsman (i), Damon Lynch IV
Republican: Holly Adams, Eric Conroy, Steven Erbeck, Rosemary Oglesby-Henry
Libertarian: John D. Hancock, Jr., Jason Stoops (write-in)

District 2 – Adams, Athens, Brown, Clermont, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Morgan, Perry (part), Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, Washington
Democratic: Jen Mazzuckelli, Todd Wilson
Republican: Bob Carr, David Taylor (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 3 – Franklin (part)
Democratic: Joyce Beatty (i), Joe Gerard
Republican: Celophus Dulaney
Libertarian: N/A

*District 4 – Allen, Auglaize, Champaign, Clark (part), Delaware (part), Hardin, Logan, Marion, Mercer, Morrow, Richland (part), Shelby, Union, Van Wert
Democratic: Joshua D. Kolasinski
Republican: Jim Jordan (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 5 – Crawford, Hancock, Huron, Lorain, Richland (part), Sandusky, Seneca, Wood (part), Wyandot (part)
Democratic: Daniel Burket Martin Heberling III, Brian Shaver, Scott Tabor
Republican: Bob Latta (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 6 – Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Holmes (part), Jefferson, Mahoning (part), Stark (part), Tuscarawas, Wayne (part)
Democratic: Sean Connolly, Charles DiPalma, Brent Hanni, Elizabeth Kirtley, Malcolm Ritchie, Adrian Vitus, Christopher Lafont (write-in)
Republican: Michael Rulli (i), Jullie Kelley
Libertarian: N/A

District 7 – Cuyahoga (part), Ashland, Medina, Wayne (part)
Democratic: John Butchko, Ann Marie Donegan, Michael Eisner, Ed FitzGerald, Keith Mundy, Brian Poindexter, Laura Rodriguez-Carbone, Scott Schulz
Republican: Max Miller (i)
Libertarian: Brian Duvall-Gambino (write-in)

District 8 – Butler (part), Darke, Hamilton (part), Miami (part), Preble
Democratic: Vanessa Enoch, Madaris Grant
Republican: Warren Davidson (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 9 – Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Williams, Wood (part)
Democratic: Marcy Kaptur (i)
Republican: Anthony Campbell, Derek Merrin, Alea Nadeem, Madison Sheahan, Josh Williams
Libertarian: Matthew Althaus, David Gedert

District 10 – Butler (part), Greene, Montgomery
Democratic: Janice Beckett, David Esrati, Manuel Foggie, Jan Kinner, Kristina Knickerbocker, Tony Pombo
Republican: Michael Turner (i)
Libertarian: Thomas McMasters

District 11 – Cuyahoga (part)
Democratic: Shontel Brown (i), Sean Freeman, Ardelia Holmes
Republican: James Hemphill, Mike Kirchner
Libertarian: N/A

District 12 – Coshocton, Delaware (part), Fairfield, Guernsey, Holmes (part), Knox, Licking, Monroe, Muskingum, Noble, Perry (part)
Democratic: Jerrad Christian, Daniel Crawford, Jason Reynard
Republican: Troy Balderson (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 13 – Portage (part), Stark (part), Summit
Democratic: Emilia Sykes (i)
Republican: Margaret Briem, Carey Coleman, Sanjin Drakovac, Neil Patel, Kevin Siembida
Libertarian: N/A

District 14 – Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Mahoning (part), Portage (part), Trumbull
Democratic: Maria Jukic, Bill O'Neill, Carl Setzer
Republican: Nicole Frenchko, Dave Joyce (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 15 – Clark (part), Fayette, Franklin (part), Highland, Madison, Miami (part), Pickaway
Democratic: Don Leonard, Adam Miller
Republican: Mike Carey (i)
Libertarian: Brennan Barrington

Appellate judges

There will be 21 intermediate appellate court seats open in November.

*First District Court of Appeals – Hamilton (one seat open)
Judge 1
Democratic: Ginger S. Bock (i)
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

*Second District Court of Appeals – Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery (one seat open)
Judge 1
Democratic: N/A
Republican: Chris Epley (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*Third District Court of Appeals – Allen, Auglaize, Crawford, Defiance, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Logan, Marion, Mercer, Paulding, Putnam, Seneca, Shelby, Union, Van Wert, Wyandot (one seat open)
Judge 1
Democratic: N/A
Republican: Mark Miller (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*Fourth District Court of Appeals – Adams, Athens, Gallia, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, Washington (one seat open)
Judge 1
Democratic: N/A
Republican: Peter Abele (i)
Libertarian: N/A

Fifth District Court of Appeals – Ashland, Coshocton, Delaware, Fairfield, Guernsey, Holmes, Knox, Licking, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Perry, Richland, Stark, Tuscarawas (one seat open)
Judge 1
Democratic: N/A
Republican: Matt Donahue, Jeff Furr, Matthew George
Libertarian: N/A

*Sixth District Court of Appeals – Erie, Fulton, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Williams, Wood (two seats open)
Judge 1
Democratic: N/A
Republican: Michael Goulding
Libertarian: N/A

Judge 2
Democratic: Myron Duhart (i)
Republican: CJ Kamm
Libertarian: N/A

Seventh District Court of Appeals – Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Jefferson, Mahoning, Monroe, Noble (two seats open)
Judge 1
Democratic: N/A
Republican: Molly Johnson, Donald Scott
Libertarian: N/A

Judge 2
Democratic: Katherine Rudzik (write-in)
Republican: David Comstock, Mark Anthony Hanni
Libertarian: N/A

*Eighth District Court of Appeals – Cuyahoga (five seats open)
Judge 1
Democratic: Jeff Crossman
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

Judge 2
Democratic: Michael John Ryan (i)
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

Judge 3
Democratic: Emanuella D. Groves (i)
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

Judge 4
Democratic: Anita Laster Mays (i)
Republican: Anthony Alto
Libertarian: N/A

Judge 5
Democratic: Ashley Kilbane
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

*Ninth District Court of Appeals – Lorain, Medina, Summit, Wayne (one seat open)
Judge 1
Democratic: Betty Sutton (i)
Republican: Cynthia Curtin
Libertarian: N/A

*Tenth District Court of Appeals – Franklin (two seats open)
Judge 1
Democratic: Michael Mentel (i)
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

Judge 2
Democratic: Terri Jamison (i)
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

Eleventh District Court of Appeals – Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Portage, Trumbull (two seats open)
Judge 1
Democratic: N/A
Republican: Marisa Cornachio, David Lee Engler
Libertarian: N/A

Judge 2
Democratic: N/A
Republican: Robert Patton (i)
Libertarian: N/A

Twelfth District Court of Appeals – Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Fayette, Madison, Preble, and Warren (two seats open)
Judge 1
Democratic: N/A
Republican: Robert Hendrickson (i)
Libertarian: N/A

Judge 2
Democratic: N/A
Republican: Matthew Byrne (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District maps

First things first, you need to figure out what district you live in. The Secretary of State website has a handy tool called "Find my District."

Once you are there, type in your address. You should get a pop-up stating the numbers for your House, Senate, Congressional and school district.

Remember or write those down, and come back to this guide.

State Senate

The odd-numbered seats are up for election this year. Once again, a * means that there is no competitive primary.

District 1: Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Logan (part), Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, Williams
Democratic: N/A
Republican: James Hoops, Craig Riedel
Libertarian: N/A

District 3: Franklin (part), Madison, Pickaway
Democratic: Stacie Baker, Natasha Wheatley-Caffrey
Republican: Michele Reynolds (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 5: Butler (part), Darke (part), Miami, Montgomery (part), Preble
Democratic: N/A
Republican: Phil Plummer
Libertarian: N/A

District 7: Hamilton (part), Warren
Democratic: Cara Jacob
Republican: Zac Haines, Kim Lukens
Libertarian: N/A

*District 9: Hamilton (part)
Democratic: Catherine Ingram (i)
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

*District 11: Lucas (part)
Democratic: Paula Hicks-Hudson (i)
Republican: James Nowak
Libertarian: Kenneth Sharp

*District 13: Huron (part), Lorain
Democratic: Joe Miller
Republican: Gayle Manning
Libertarian: N/A

*District 15: Franklin (part)
Democratic: Latyna Humphrey
Republican: Joseph Healy
Libertarian: N/A

*District 17: Fayette, Gallia, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Perry (part), Pike, Ross, Vinton
Democratic: Brian Deer
Republican: Shane Wilkin (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 19: Coshocton, Delaware, Holmes, Knox
Democratic: Janet Wagner
Republican: Beth Lear, Ryan Rivers
Libertarian: N/A

District 21: Cuyahoga (part)
Democratic: Delores Gray Ford, Kent Smith (i)
Republican: Mikhail Alterman
Libertarian: N/A

*District 23: Cuyahoga (part)
Democratic: Bride Rose Sweeney
Republican: Robert Dintaman
Libertarian: N/A

District 25: Franklin (part)
Democratic: Jesse Baker, Bill DeMora (i)
Republican: Don Roberts
Libertarian: N/A

*District 27: Geauga (part), Portage, Summit (part)
Democratic: Mike Roberto
Republican: Steve Demetriou
Libertarian: N/A

*District 29: Stark (part)
Democratic: Thomas West
Republican: Jane Timken (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 31: Guernsey (part), Muskingum, Stark (part), Tuscarawas, Wayne
Democratic: Laura Sirot
Republican: Al Landis (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 33: Carroll, Columbiana, Mahoning
Democratic: Michael Kripchak
Republican: Al Cutrona (i)
Libertarian: N/A

State House

All 99 seats are up for election.

District 1: Franklin (part)
Democratic: Dontavius Jarrells (i), Christopher Robbins
Republican: Joel A. Greff
Libertarian: Steve Dodge (write-in)

District 2: Franklin (part)
Democratic: Michael D. Cole, Charity Martin King
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

*District 3: Franklin (part)
Democratic: Ismail Mohamed (i)
Republican: Bernadine Kennedy Kent (write-in)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 4: Franklin (part)
Democratic: Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (i)
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

*District 5: Franklin (part)
Democratic: Meredith Lawson‐Rowe (i)
Republican: Richard Cole (write-in)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 6: Franklin (part)
Democratic: Christine Cockley (i)
Republican: Matthew Jackson
Libertarian: Jennifer Crayton (write-in)

District 7: Franklin (part)
Democratic: Ukeme Awakessien Jeter, Michaela Burriss, Zach Rossfeld
Republican: William Mercier
Libertarian: N/A

*District 8: Franklin (part)
Democratic: Anita Somani (i)
Republican: Kelly Hunter-Kalagidis (write-in)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 9: Franklin (part)
Democratic: Munira Abdullahi (i)
Republican: Bruce Euans
Libertarian: Steven R. Linnabary (write-in)

*District 10: Franklin (part)
Democratic: Mark Sigrist (i)
Republican: Denise D'Angelo Steele
Libertarian: N/A

*District 11: Franklin (part)
Democratic: Crystal Lett (i)
Republican: Shawn Kaeser
Libertarian: N/A

District 12: Franklin (part), Madison, Pickaway
Democratic: Liam N. Strausbaugh
Republican: Patty Hamilton, Brian Stewart (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 13: Cuyahoga (part)
Democratic: Tristan Rader (i)
Republican: Billy Fronimo
Libertarian:

*District 14: Cuyahoga (part)
Democratic: Sean Brennan (i)
Republican: David Morgan (write-in)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 15: Cuyahoga (part)
Democratic: Chris Glassburn (i)
Republican: Daniel Conway
Libertarian: Ryan McClain (write-in)

*District 16: Cuyahoga (part)
Democratic: Scott DiMauro
Republican: Sophia Tjotjos
Libertarian: N/A

*District 17: Cuyahoga (part)
Democratic: Megan Coy
Republican: Mike Dovilla (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 18: Cuyahoga (part)
Democratic: Gabe Crenshaw, Samuel Grube, Peter Hoffman, Davida Russell
Republican: Maureen Lynn
Libertarian: N/A

District 19: Cuyahoga (part)
Democratic: Dionna Gore, Cheryl Perez, Nicole Sigurdson
Republican: Eric Geyer
Libertarian: N/A

District 20: Cuyahoga (part)
Democratic: Eugene Miller, Charlotte Perkins, Mike Seals, Lauren Welch
Republican: Donna Walker-Brown
Libertarian: N/A

*District 21: Cuyahoga (part)
Democratic: Eric Synenberg (i)
Republican: Tina Barhams (write-in)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 22: Cuyahoga (part)
Democratic: Darnell Brewer (i)
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

*District 23: Cuyahoga (part), Lake (part)
Democratic: Dan Troy (i)
Republican: Julie A. Belich
Libertarian: N/A

*District 24: Hamilton (part)
Democratic: Dani Isaacsohn (i)
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

*District 25: Hamilton (part)
Democratic: Cecil Thomas (i)
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

*District 26: Hamilton (part)
Democratic: Ashley Bryant Bailey (i)
Republican: Tom Brinkman Jr.
Libertarian: N/A

*District 27: Hamilton (part)
Democratic: Rachel Baker (i)
Republican: Elizabeth Maier
Libertarian: N/A

*District 28: Hamilton (part)
Democratic: Karen Brownlee (i)
Republican: Jill Cole
Libertarian: N/A

*District 29: Hamilton (part)
Democratic: Jonathan Bradner
Republican: Cindy Abrams (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 30: Hamilton (part)
Democratic: Caleb Price
Republican: Mike Odioso (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 31: Summit (part)
Democratic: J. Noah Spinner
Republican: Mike Kahoe, Stephanie Stock
Libertarian: Julie Miller (write-in)

*District 32: Summit (part)
Democratic: Djordjije Popovic (write-in)
Republican: Jack K. Daniels (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 33: Summit (part)
Democratic: Veronica Sims (i)
Republican: Napoleon Rodgers Jr.
Libertarian: N/A

*District 34: Summit (part)
Democratic: Derrick Hall (i)
Republican: Craig Shubert
Libertarian: N/A

District 35: Geauga (part), Portage (part), Summit (part)
Democratic: Samantha Salamon, Molly Schneider
Republican: Vik Sandhu
Libertarian: N/A

*District 36: Montgomery (part)
Democratic: Rose Lounsbury
Republican: Andrea White (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 37: Montgomery (part)
Democratic: Phil Crippen, Tom Herner
Republican: Tom Young (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 38: Montgomery (part)
Democratic: Desiree Tims (i)
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

District 39: Montgomery (part)
Democratic: Daquan Neal, Mike Stevens
Republican: Mark Campbell
Libertarian: N/A

District 40: Butler (part), Montgomery (part), Preble
Democratic: Timothy Hornbacker (write-in)
Republican: Rodney Creech (i), Jeffrey Todd Smith
Libertarian: Joshua Umbaugh

District 41: Lucas (part)
Democratic: Erika White (i) (write-in)
Republican: Ian Chamberlin
Libertarian: N/A

*District 42: Lucas (part)
Democratic: Elgin Rogers Jr. (i)
Republican: N/A
Libertarian: N/A

District 43: Lucas (part)
Democratic: Michele Grim (i)
Republican: David Karmol, Kristi Kille
Libertarian: Zach Hall

District 44: Lucas (part), Ottawa (part), Wood (part)
Democratic: David J. Fournier
Republican: John Rozic, Edward L. Schimmel
Libertarian: N/A

*District 45: Butler (part)
Democratic: Jayson Ameer Rasheed
Republican: Jennifer Gross (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 46: Butler (part)
Democratic: Benjamin McCall
Republican: Thomas Hall (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 47: Butler (part)
Democratic: Jordan Haire
Republican: Diane Mullins (i)
Libertarian: Jason Purviance

District 48: Stark (part)
Democratic: Nick Morris
Republican: Sue Grabowski, Christina Hagan, Ed Lohnes, Greg Wolfe
Libertarian: N/A

District 49: Stark (part)
Democratic: Krista Allison, Brit Steiner
Republican: Jim Thomas (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 50: Stark (part)
Democratic: Rylan Finzer
Republican: Matthew Kishman (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 51: Stark (part), Tuscarawas
Democratic: Amanda Fontana, Angie Hall Pekarek
Republican: Jodi Salvo (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 52: Lorain (part)
Democratic: Mike Baker, Graig Bansek
Republican: Nathan Manning
Libertarian: N/A

District 53: Lorain (part)
Democratic: Matt Lundy, Dan Nutt
Republican: Bradley Lacko
Libertarian: N/A

*District 54: Huron (part), Lorain (part)
Democratic: Brenda Buchanan
Republican: Kellie Deeter (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 55: Warren (part)
Democratic: Paul Kurtz
Republican: C. Michelle Teska (i)
Libertarian: Philip L. Pirdy

*District 56: Warren (part)
Democratic: Laalitya Acharya
Republican: Adam Mathews (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 57: Lake (part)
Democratic: Rick Walker
Republican: Jesse Styles
Libertarian: N/A

District 58: Mahoning (part)
Democratic: Basia Adamczak, John Boccieri, Jordan Pegues
Republican: Heather Fronk
Libertarian: N/A

*District 59: Columbiana (part), Mahoning (part)
Democratic: Wayne Penny Jr.
Republican: Tex Fischer (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 60: Delaware (part)
Democratic: Shelby Kimball, Eli Wenzel
Republican: Peggy Guzzo, Brian Lorenz (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 61: Delaware (part), Knox (part)
Democratic: Vince McGrail
Republican: Andrew Brenner, Shawn Stevens
Libertarian: N/A

District 62: Clermont (part)
Democratic: Ian Schwartz
Republican: Dillon Blevins, Jean Schmidt (i)
Libertarian: Ron Grethel

*District 63: Brown (part), Clermont (part)
Democratic: Debbie Davidson
Republican: Adam Bird (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 64: Trumbull (part)
Democratic: N/A
Republican: Nick Santucci (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 65: Ashtabula (part), Trumbull (part)
Democratic: Lorna Westlake
Republican: David Thomas (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 66: Medina (part)
Democratic: Chris Nardo
Republican: Aidan Haggard, Sean Hutson
Libertarian: Justin Peroli

*District 67: Ashland, Medina (part)
Democratic: Heather Sample
Republican: Melanie Miller (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 68: Licking (part)
Democratic: Mason Blankenship
Republican: Thaddeus Claggett (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 69: Fairfield (part), Licking (part), Perry (part)
Democratic: Amy Rigsby
Republican: Kevin Miller (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 70: Greene (part)
Democratic: Kim McCarthy
Republican: Terry Free, Brian Lampton (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 71: Clark (part), Clinton, Greene (part)
Democratic: Krista Magaw
Republican: Levi Dean (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 72: Portage (part)
Democratic: Jeff Clapper
Republican: Heidi Workman (i)
Libertarian: Michael Fricke

District 73: Fairfield (part)
Democratic: Andrew Foltz, Whittney Wood
Republican: Jeff LaRe (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 74: Clark (part)
Democratic: Darrell Jackson
Republican: Bernard Willis (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 75: Wood (part)
Democratic: Jake Kielmeyer
Republican: Haraz Ghanbari (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 76: Richland
Democratic: Colton Stidam
Republican: Marilyn John (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 77: Wayne
Democratic: Brooke Dillon
Republican: Meredith Craig (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 78: Allen, Auglaize (part)
Democratic: Jeffrey R. Givan
Republican: Matt Huffman (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 79: Carroll, Columbiana (part)
Democratic: Bob Guy
Republican: Monica Robb Blasdel (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 80: Darke (part), Miami
Democratic: Katie Koehler Wagner, Melissa VanDyke
Republican: Johnathan Newman (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 81: Defiance (part), Fulton, Henry, Williams
Democratic: David Swanson
Republican: Brandon Moskwa, Patti Rockey
Libertarian: N/A

District 82: Defiance (part), Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert
Democratic: Maddux McCray (write-in)
Republican: Roy Klopfenstein (i)
Libertarian: Christopher Elder

*District 83: Hancock, Hardin, Logan (part)
Democratic: Sheila Coressel
Republican: Ty Mathews (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 84: Auglaize (part), Darke (part), Mercer
Democratic: Arienne Childrey
Republican: Angela King (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 85: Champaign, Logan (part), Shelby
Democratic: Pamela Grogean, Victoria Maddox, John Clayton Newlin II
Republican: Tim Barhorst (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 86: Marion (part), Union
Democratic: Kent Halloran
Republican: Wezlynn Davis, Benjamin Weber, Stephen Wolfe
Libertarian: N/A

*District 87: Crawford, Marion (part), Morrow, Wyandot
Democratic: Lora Covrett (write-in)
Republican: Jeffrey McClain
Libertarian: N/A

District 88: Sandusky, Seneca
Democratic: Aaron Jones
Republican: Gary Click (i), Eric Watson
Libertarian: Ben Machoukas (write-in)

*District 89: Erie, Huron (part), Ottawa (part)
Democratic: Easton Retzke
Republican: D.J. Swearingen (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 90: Adams, Brown (part), Scioto
Democratic: Collin Docterman
Republican: Justin Pizzulli (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 91: Fayette, Highland, Pike, Ross (part)
Democratic: Amy Wright
Republican: Bob Peterson (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 92: Hocking, Perry (part), Ross (part), Vinton
Democratic: Sarah Senff (write-in)
Republican: Mark Johnson (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 93: Gallia, Jackson, Lawrence
Democratic: Jessica Harper
Republican: Jason Stephens (i), Larry Kidd
Libertarian: N/A

*District 94: Athens (part), Meigs, Washington
Democratic: Wenda Sheard
Republican: Kevin Ritter (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 95: Athens (part), Belmont (part), Guernsey (part), Harrison, Morgan, Noble
Democratic: Paul Cameron, James Joyce
Republican: Ty Moore (i)
Libertarian: N/A

District 96: Belmont (part), Jefferson, Monroe
Democratic: Charrie L. Foglio
Republican: Ron Ferguson (i), Frank Hoagland
Libertarian: N/A

*District 97: Guernsey (part), Muskingum
Democratic: N/A
Republican: Adam Holmes (i)
Libertarian: Tim Godwin

*District 98: Coshocton, Holmes, Knox (part)
Democratic: Scott Grund
Republican: Mark Hiner (i)
Libertarian: N/A

*District 99: Ashtabula (part), Geauga (part)
Democratic: Louis Murphy, Michael Price
Republican: Sarah Fowler (i)
Libertarian: N/A

Ballot issues

There are no statewide ballot issues this election; there are plenty of local ones.

There are 549 local ballot issues across the state, most of them tax levies. Of those, 74 come from school districts. Thirty-six districts have a property tax levy, 33 have an income tax levy, four have bonds, and one has a combination proposal. Three library districts also have tax levies.

RELATED: Why Ohio ballots are packed with school levies — and how we got here

Public safety needs make up the majority of the requests for money.

Some of our stories (which will continue to be updated)

Northeast Ohio

• Avon Lake road levy
• Solon school levy
• Lakewood school levy
• Streetsboro school levy
• Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson library levies
• Perry Township road levy
• Mentor school levy
• Wickliffe and Painesville school levies
• Lorain school levy
• Parma school levy

Southwest Ohio

• Little Miami school levy
• Mount Healthy, New Richmond, Fairfield and North College Hill school levies
• Reading police and fire levy
• Delhi Township fire levy
• Batavia Township fire levy
• Butler County disability services levy

Click here to see all of the local issues for all counties.

Among the major non-fiscal issues on the ballot is a repeal of Richland County's solar farm ban. Currently, the county can prohibit certain solar power facilities and wind power farms in 11 of the county’s 18 townships. This would reverse that.

RELATED: Local groups in Richland County want to end industrial solar ban

Local races

Due to the vast number of races across a state of about 12 million people, we are limiting our local races in this guide.

Municipalities differ in who is on the ballot, but most should have state central committee members and common pleas judges.

Cuyahoga

Hamilton

Franklin

Voting

Election Day is May 5. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. If not returned by mail, absentee ballots must be received by your board of elections by 7:30 p.m.

Early voting started on April 7. You MUST vote at your county board of elections if you are voting early.

You had to have been registered to vote by April 6 in order to vote in the primary.

If you do not know your county's website, click or tap here. This contains their addresses, emails and phone numbers.

Click here to check your registration status.

Election Schedule

April 7: Early in-person and mail-in voting begins for the general population (military and overseas began earlier)

April 28: Your board of elections must receive your absentee ballot applications by 8:30 p.m.

May 5: Mailed absentee ballots (except military) must be received by 7:30 p.m.

May 9: Military ballots must be received.

Early voting hours

April 28: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
April 29 to May 1: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
May 2: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
May 3: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

There is no early voting on May 4.

Where to vote

Click here to find your polling location for May 5. Once again, you MUST vote at your county board of elections if you are voting early.

Voter identification

You need to bring a photo ID when voting in person. Acceptable forms are a valid Ohio driver's license, a U.S. passport or a military ID. You may no longer use bank statements or utility bills.

RELATED: What you need to vote at the polls in Ohio

Other acceptable forms of ID are a state of Ohio ID card, an interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV, a U.S. passport card, an Ohio National Guard ID card and a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card.

Other unacceptable forms of ID are a driver’s license or photo identification card issued by a state other than Ohio; a Social Security card, birth certificate, insurance card, government check, paycheck or other government document; or any registration acknowledgment notice from the county board of elections.

The IDs must have an expiration date that has not passed, a photograph of the voter, and the voter’s name, which must substantially conform to the voter’s name as it appears in the Poll List or in the Poll Book.

If you do not have any of the approved forms of identification, you are allowed to cast a provisional ballot. To have your vote counted, you must return to the BOE within four days of the election to provide a photo ID.

Clothing

If you're looking for a smooth voting process in Ohio, don't wear political attire to the polls.

State rules prohibit voters or poll workers from wearing anything that can be seen as supporting or opposing a candidate, party or issue.

You will still be allowed to vote, but you will be asked to either turn a shirt inside out or take off a hat.

Nonpartisan voter helpline

If you have any questions or concerns about voting, a nonpartisan helpline has been created.

Call or text 1-866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) to speak with a trained Election Protection volunteer in English.

The hotline also comes in different languages.

Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682)

Asian languages: 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)

Arabic: 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287)

This guide touches on statewide, congressional, Statehouse and some major local races. If you believe this guide is missing any candidate or race, please email Statehouse reporter Morgan Trau at morgan.trau@wews.com with the subject line "2026 PRIMARY GUIDE UPDATE." This guide will consistently be updated as we continue to report on election-related topics.

*Please note that not every local race will be added.

Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.