DAYTON — Early voting is under way in Montgomery County, where the Nov. 3 general election ballot pairs contested races for county commissioner, county auditor and several judgeships with a new Dayton Public Schools levy that has drawn organized business opposition. The Montgomery County Board of Elections, at 451 West Third Street in downtown Dayton, is open for early in-person voting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday this week.
The biggest tax question in the county is Issue 4 in the city of Dayton, where Dayton Public Schools is asking voters to approve a 7-mill levy — 5 mills for operating expenses and 2 mills for permanent improvements — expected to generate about $14.6 million a year. The district, which faces a projected budget shortfall of about $9 million next school year, has not asked voters for a new operating levy since 2008. The Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce announced its opposition to the levy on Oct. 14, citing property tax burdens and student performance.
Countywide, voters will decide nine local ballot questions in all, according to the county’s certified ballot, including a Miamisburg schools income tax proposal and a Northridge schools permanent-improvement levy. The questions vary by community, and voters can preview their exact ballot through the board of elections before they vote.
The most closely watched county race is for county commissioner, where Democratic incumbent Carolyn Rice faces Republican Margie Christie. Rice, a former county treasurer who was first elected commissioner in 2018 and serves as the board’s 2026 president, is seeking another term against Christie, a nonprofit leader who won a three-way Republican primary in May.
The auditor’s race is also contested. Democratic incumbent Karl Keith, who has held the office since 2000 and has been elected to six full terms, faces Republican Tammy Murphy, a real estate agent and small-business owner who has been involved in citizen campaigns to abolish property taxes. The auditor’s office sets property values and oversees the county’s tax calculations, a central issue in this year’s campaign.
Several judgeships are contested as well. Republican incumbent David Brannon faces Democrat-nominated attorney Cassandra Rice for probate judge, and three Common Pleas General Division seats drew two-candidate races: Steve Abshire against Richard Glennon, Michele Henne against Kelly Madzey, and Derek Muncy against Anne Keeton. Nicholas Sylvain and Hope Smalls are running for the Juvenile Division seat, while Common Pleas judges Susan D. Solle and Elizabeth A. Ellis are unopposed.
Above the local races, Montgomery County voters will also help decide Ohio’s statewide contests — governor, 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, and statewide Issue 3, the proposed constitutional amendment that would require voters to present photo identification in order to vote. The county is split among five Ohio House districts, the 36th through the 40th, so state representative races vary by address.
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 will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.