OTTAWA, Ohio — Putnam County voters will not find a contested race for any county office on the Nov. 3 ballot, but they will decide one of Ohio’s most closely watched congressional races and a three-way contest for the Statehouse, along with a long list of local levy renewals. Early voting is under way at the Putnam County Board of Elections, 575 Ottawa-Glandorf Road, Suite 2, in Ottawa, and polls will be open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The marquee race is in the 9th Congressional District, where Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in the U.S. House, faces Republican Derek Merrin, a former state representative. The redrawn district has been a top target for both parties, and Putnam County’s reliably Republican vote will be one piece of a district that stretches along the Lake Erie shore.
The other contested race on most Putnam County ballots is for the 82nd Ohio House District, where Republican incumbent Roy W. Klopfenstein faces two challengers, Democrat Maddux McCray and Libertarian Christopher Elder. In the 1st Senate District, Republican Craig S. Riedel is unopposed, and Republican Mark C. Miller is the only candidate for judge of the Third District Court of Appeals.
At the courthouse in Ottawa, every office is uncontested. Republican Jeff Vance is the sole candidate for county commissioner, Republican Robert L. Benroth is unopposed for county auditor, and Republican Susan R. Maag is the only candidate for clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, for an unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2028. Barry E. Schroeder is unopposed for judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Juvenile Division.
Local questions vary by precinct. Voters in the Columbus Grove area decide a renewal-and-increase levy for the Columbus Grove-Pleasant Township Joint Fire District. The Village of Continental has three renewal questions covering current expenses, police protection and roads, and renewal levies also appear in the villages of Gilboa, Miller City and Ottawa and in Greensburg, Jackson, Ottawa, Perry and Union townships, plus fire and road renewals in Palmer Township. School questions reach into the county from neighboring districts: a combined income tax and bond issue for the McComb Local School District and an additional income tax for the Paulding Exempted Village School District.
Statewide, Putnam County voters join the rest of Ohio in choosing between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton for governor and between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Jon Husted for an unexpired U.S. Senate term. State Issue 3 asks whether Ohio’s photo identification requirements for voting should be written into the state constitution.
Early in-person voting 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, extended hours during the final week, and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, the last day of early voting. Requests for absentee ballots must reach the board by 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and voted mail ballots must be received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. In-person voters must present an accepted photo ID, such as an Ohio driver’s license, state ID card or U.S. passport.