PAINESVILLE, Ohio — Lake County voters have an unusually full county ballot this fall: two separate races for county commissioner, an unopposed county auditor and a stack of city levy renewals, all being decided as early in-person voting runs at the Lake County Board of Elections, 105 Main St., Suite 107, in Painesville, ahead of the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election.
Two commissioner seats are up at once. For the full term beginning Jan. 1, 2027, Republican John T. Plecnik, the incumbent, faces Democrat Tom Trombley. In a second race, for an unexpired term ending Jan. 1, 2029, Republican Morgan R. McIntosh, the incumbent, faces Democrat Lisa Lewins. County Auditor Christopher A. Galloway, a Republican, is unopposed for a term beginning in March 2027. Together, the two commissioner races will shape the three-member board that sets the county’s budget and tax policy.
Most of Lake County’s Nov. 3 questions are local rather than countywide, according to the Board of Elections’ official questions and issues list. Willoughby voters face two renewals: a 2-mill levy for the general construction, reconstruction, resurfacing and repair of streets, roads and bridges, collecting $1,267,480 annually and amounting to $37 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s market value over five years, and a 0.9-mill renewal for current expenses, collecting $157,186 annually and amounting to $3 for each $100,000 of market value over five years.
In Willowick, voters will decide a 0.5-mill renewal levy for parks and recreation, collecting $70,824 annually and amounting to $5 for each $100,000 of market value for five years. A single Eastlake precinct, Ward 1 Precinct A, has a local option question on Sunday sales of wine and mixed beverages by a Vine Street convenience store and gas station seeking a D-6 liquor permit. Ballots elsewhere in the county carry their own mix of school, township and municipal questions, and the Board of Elections posts a sample ballot for every precinct.
State legislative races are contested across the county. In the 23rd Ohio House District, Democrat Daniel P. Troy faces Republican Julie A. Belich. In the 57th District, Republican Jesse Styles and Democrat Rick Walker are joined by nonparty candidate Belinda Grassi. Lake County voters are also choosing judges for the Court of Common Pleas, including its Domestic Relations and Juvenile divisions, on a ballot that election officials note runs to multiple pages.
At the top of the ballot, Lake County is voting in the statewide contests for governor — Republican Vivek Ramaswamy against Democrat Amy Acton — and for U.S. senator, where Democrat Sherrod Brown challenges Republican Jon Husted. State Issue 3 appears on every ballot in the county: a proposed constitutional amendment to require voters to present photo identification in order to vote, defining approved forms of ID to include an unexpired Ohio driver’s license or state ID, a U.S. passport or passport card, and military, National Guard or Department of Veterans Affairs identification.
Early in-person voting at the Board of Elections in Painesville follows the statewide schedule: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through Oct. 23; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24; 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26; 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, also the deadline for absentee ballot applications to be received; 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28 through Oct. 30; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and absentee ballots must be received by 7:30 p.m. to be counted.