IRONTON, Ohio — Early in-person voting is under way in Lawrence County, where the Nov. 3 ballot pairs a pair of renewal levies with a closely watched state representative race between a former Ohio House speaker and a Jackson teacher. Early ballots are being cast at the Lawrence County Board of Elections, 1305 S. Third St. in Ironton, and the official sample ballot for the general election is posted through the board’s voter lookup.
The countywide question is a renewal of the Lawrence County Joint Vocational School District’s permanent improvement levy: 0.5 mill, estimated by the county auditor to collect $744,260 annually, amounting to $11 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s market value, for five years commencing in 2027. Township voters in parts of the county see additional questions — in Fayette Township, for example, a renewal of a 2-mill fire protection levy that would collect $266,530 annually, amounting to $46 for each $100,000 of market value over five years.
The marquee race is for state representative in the 93rd District, where Republican Jason Stephens — a former speaker of the Ohio House who previously served as Lawrence County commissioner and county auditor — faces Democrat Jessica Harper, a Jackson teacher and local teachers union president. Stephens won a hard-fought May primary with 63 percent of the vote district-wide, carrying Lawrence County by a similar margin. The 93rd District covers Lawrence, Gallia and Jackson counties.
Other legislative races are contested as well. For Congress in the 2nd District, Republican David J. Taylor faces Democrat Jen Mazzuckelli. In the Ohio Senate’s 17th District, Republican Shane Wilkin faces Democrat Brian A. Deer. And for the 4th District Court of Appeals, Democrat Todd L. Grace faces Republican Jayme Hartley Fountain.
At the county level, the ballot is quieter. County Commissioner Mike Finley, a Republican, is the only candidate printed for a full term beginning Jan. 1, 2027, and County Auditor Paul David Knipp, also a Republican, is likewise unopposed. Andy Ballard is on the ballot for judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and Patricia Sanders for the court’s Probate/Juvenile Division. Voters are reminded that only votes for write-in candidates who formally filed can be counted.
Statewide, Lawrence County voters are choosing between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton for governor, and between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Jon Husted for the U.S. Senate seat up for an unexpired term ending in 2029. State Issue 3, on every ballot, proposes amending the Ohio Constitution to require voters to present photo identification in order to vote.
Early in-person voting at the Board of Elections in Ironton runs 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, 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. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, and absentee ballots must be received by 7:30 p.m. that day to count.
Photo: Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA 2.0