COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Democrats outperformed Republicans during the state's early voting period, but the state's tight races will depend on Tuesday's turnout.
More than 1.7 million voters, like 18-year-old Willa Archer of Summit County, cast their ballots early.
"I feel like it's really important for young people now to share our voices," Archer said.
She is a student working in D.C. right now, but she said the state denied her absentee ballot request, saying her signature didn't match. She flew home over the weekend to vote.
"It's kind of important to me to be able to vote and share my opinions," the teen said.
On Halloween, some voters even showed up in costumes.
"I've been waiting for about 45 minutes or so," Jake Mistifer, dressed as a banana, said.
Voters waited in hours-long lines to cast their ballots in Ohio’s competitive midterm races. Franklin County, in Columbus, was seeing nearly three-hour wait times.
RELATED: One week into early voting, Ohio Democrats are outperforming Republicans
The numbers are in
The majority of the 1.7 million voters aren't affiliated with a party. Registered Democrats make up 27% of votes and Republicans 25%. This is a major difference from 2024 data, which had Democrats at 17%.
"Something that's really important to me is IVF rights for all the women in the country, abortion rights," Archer said.
In Cuyahoga County, registered Democrats represented 44% of the ballots cast. This is up 12 points from their 2024 numbers.
"Have your voice be heard," Cleveland voter Ryan, who was wearing a hot dog costume, said.
Pivot counties, areas that voted for Former President Barack Obama and then for President Donald Trump, are ones to watch on election night.
In 2024, Stark County voted 54% for U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno against former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown.
The county's early vote for that year was 30% Republican and 18% Democrat. In 2026, Dems are up 29% and Republicans 26%.
Portage County went 51% for Moreno.
The early vote was 27% Republican and 19% Democrat. This year, Dems are up 31% and Republicans 23%.
Similar trends can be seen across the other pivots, like Ashtabula.
Republicans acknowledge that this year is significantly more competitive for Democrats
"Democrats are more motivated because they actually have a race that is maybe contested," GOP strategist Bob Clegg said.
Brown is challenging U.S. Senator Jon Husted for his seat, while Democrat Dr. Amy Acton faces off against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy for governor.
"I feel that enthusiasm in cities, in suburbs, in small towns, in small towns, in farm country," Brown said during a rally in Cleveland. "We see people showing up like today, like never before."
The top county to watch is Mahoning, a working-class area that contains Youngstown. In 2024, Brown lost it by less than a percentage point.
Democrats made up 25% of the early vote in that county in 2024. This year, they moved to 36%. Republicans are down from 23% to 20%.
Wood County, near Toledo, is also important. It is typically the county that votes most closely to what the state results will look like.
In 2024, Republicans made up 28% of the vote, while Democrats made up 17%. In 2026, Democrats are 25.26%, while Republicans are 25%.
Other counties to keep an eye on are Delaware, which has recently been becoming more blue over the past decade and Erie County.
While these numbers are definitely better for Democrats than in 2024, Republicans are known for showing up on election day.
Follow Statehouse and Columbus bureau reporter Morgan Trau on X, Instagram and Facebook. Email her at Morgan.Trau@wews.com.
