KENTON — Early voting is under way in Hardin County, where voters are deciding a Nov. 3 general election ballot topped locally by a question on whether Kenton should frame a city charter and a contested race for county commissioner. The Hardin County Board of Elections, at 1 Courthouse Square, Suite 40, in Kenton, is open for early in-person voting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday this week.
Kenton voters face a two-part city question: shall a commission be chosen to frame a charter for the city? If the answer is yes, those same voters will elect the commission itself, choosing up to 15 members from a field of 18 candidates whose names appear on the ballot. A charter commission would draft a home-rule charter for Kenton that voters would then accept or reject at a later election, giving the charter question a reach well beyond this fall.
Elsewhere in the county, voters in the Ada area will decide a renewal levy for the Ada Public Library, one of 16 Ohio library systems with a question on the November ballot, according to the Ohio Library Council. Because it is a renewal, the library levy would continue the tax at its current effective rate rather than create a new one, and library supporters say the funding underpins daily operations at the library on North Main Street in Ada.
The most competitive county race on the ballot is for county commissioner, for the full term beginning Jan. 1, 2027. Republican Michael P. Kasler and Democrat Daryl G. Flowers are both listed, giving voters a clear two-party choice for a seat on the three-member board that sets the county budget and oversees county departments and property.
The rest of the county offices are uncontested this cycle. Republican Mark Schwemer is the only candidate for county auditor, and Steve Christopher is the only candidate listed for judge of the Court of Common Pleas, general and probate divisions, for the full term beginning Feb. 9, 2027. Their names still appear on every precinct’s ballot, alongside district races for Congress and the Statehouse.
Hardin County voters will also help decide the district races on their ballots: Republican Jim Jordan faces Democrat Joshua D. Kolasinski in the 4th Congressional District, Republican Craig S. Riedel is listed for the 1st Ohio Senate District, and Republican Ty Mathews faces Democrat Sheila Coressel in the 83rd Ohio House District. Mark C. Miller is the candidate listed for judge of the Third District Court of Appeals.
Above the local races, Hardin County voters will also help decide Ohio’s statewide contests — governor, where Democrat Amy Acton faces Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, attorney general, auditor, secretary of state and treasurer, two seats on the Ohio Supreme Court, the U.S. Senate race between Republican Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown for the unexpired term ending in 2029, and statewide Issue 3, the proposed constitutional amendment that would require voters to present photo identification in order to vote.
Early voting hours expand in the final week: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26, 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, Oct. 28 to 30, with weekend hours on Saturday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a final Sunday session on Nov. 1 from 1 to 5 p.m. Voters must bring an accepted photo ID, such as an Ohio driver’s license, a state ID card or a U.S. passport. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls across Hardin County will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.