2026 General election results: Licking County communities overwhelmingly support large-scale data center bans - The Reporting Project

Here are the unofficial results of the Nov. 3 General Election in Licking County. These numbers from the Licking County Board of Elections will be updated here as the elections board staff posts final, unofficial results for each race. The numbers include results from early, in-person voting and Election Day in-person voting at the polls.

Check back with The Reporting Project in the coming days for follow-up stories about the election results and, if you haven’t done it already, be sure to sign up for our free email newsletter to keep up with the news in Licking County.

Candidates | Jump to issues

STATE & DISTRICT

COUNTY

Licking County Commissioner:
Mark A. Van Buren, R, Hebron — 42,842 votes (58.63%)
Kathy McLeish, D, Newark — 29,231 votes (40%)
Brian Belcher, I, Johnstown — (Write-in) 1,001 votes (1.37%)

Judge – Licking County Common Pleas – General Division
Thomas M. Marcelain — 51,534 votes (100%)

Judge – Licking County Common Pleas – Probate/Juvenile
Deborah G. Lang — 34,157 votes (54.95%)
Michael DalSanto — 27,999 votes (45.05%)

Judge – Licking County Common Pleas – Domestic Relations
Richard P. Wright — 37,264 votes (64.22%)
Robert D. Essex — 20,762 votes (35.78%)

Licking County Auditor
Michael L. Smith (R) — 53,490 votes (100%)

Issues

Licking Park District

Renewal of a 0.375-mill, five-year property tax levy to support parks, trails and recreational programming. The tax amounts to $10 for each $100,000 of property value, based on the county auditor’s assessment of market value.
41,650 (56.96%) FOR / 31,472 (43.04%) AGAINST

City of Heath

Charter amendment to “remove all provisions for emergency resolutions and to provide that any resolution shall take effect, unless a later time be specified therein, immediately upon its passage.
1,779 (50.89%) YES / 1,717 (49.11%) NO

Charter amendment to extend, from 30 days to 60 days, the deadline for the Planning Commission to cause rezoning ordinances or resolutions to be returned to the Clerk of Council together with the Commission’s written recommendations.
2,225 (62.38%) FOR / 1,342 (37.62%) AGAINST

Charter amendment to allow municipal ordinances, resolutions, statements, orders, proclamations, notices, and reports to be published in a public place other than a local newspaper, such as on the city’s website.
2,458 (70.15%) FOR / 1,046 (29.85%) AGAINST

City of Pataskala

Shall Sections 3.02 (Composition, Term and Qualifications of Council), 4.14 (Publication of Ordinances and Resolutions), 5.04 (City Administrator), 5.05 (Powers of City Administrator), 6.02 (Director of Finance), 6.03 (Other Administrative Departments), 8.02 (Contracting Powers and Procedures), 9.01 (Nominations), 10.02 (Recall), and 11.01 (Removal of Officials) be amended as recommended by the Charter Revision Commission?
3,568 (53.3%) YES / 3,127 (46.7%) NO

Shall Section 3.07 (Salaries of Elected Officials) be amended as recommended by the Charter Revision Commission?
3,561 (51.13%) YES / 3,403 (48.87%) NO

Shall Section 7.04 (Parks and Recreation Board) be amended as recommended by the Charter Revision Commission?
3,766 (56.06%) YES / 2,952 (43.94%) NO

Shall Section 11.09 (Prohibition of a Data Center) be added thereby prohibiting the construction of a data center within the City limits?
5,418 (73.62%) YES / 1,941 (26.38%) NO

Village of Buckeye Lake

Renewal of a 5-mill, five-year property tax for current expenses, which would cost $105 for each $100,000 of property value, based on the county auditor’s assessment of market value.

Village of Granville

Shall Section 10.12 (Prohibition of a Data Center) be added thereby prohibiting the construction of a data center within the City limits?
2,015 (82.45%) FOR / 429 (17.55%) AGAINST

Village of Hanover

Renewal of a 1.5-mill, five-year levy for fire protection and emergency medical services, which would cost $30 for each $100,000 of property value, based on the county auditor’s assessment of market value.
358 (62.48%) FOR / 215 (37.52%) AGAINST

Bowling Green Township

Renewal of a 1-mill, five-year levy for fire protection and emergency medical services, which would cost $20 for each $100,000 of property value, based on the county auditor’s assessment of market value.
543 (68.65%) FOR / 248 (31.35%) AGAINST

Eden Township

Renewal of a 1-mill, five-year levy for fire protection and emergency medical services, which would cost $29 for each $100,000 of property value, based on the county auditor’s assessment of market value.
327 (65.93%) FOR / 169 (34.07%) AGAINST

Granville Township

Renewal of a 1-mill, five-year property tax levy for the purpose of protecting or preserving green space, also known as the Open Space program, which would cost $21 for each $100,000 of property value, based on the county auditor’s assessment of market value.
3,933 (76.58%) FOR / 1,203 (23.42%) AGAINST

Hanover Township

Renewal of a 1-mill, five-year levy for fire protection and emergency medical services, which would cost $26 for each $100,000 of property value, based on the county auditor’s assessment of market value.
830 (63.90%) FOR / 469 (36.10%) AGAINST

Licking Township

An additional 4-mill, five-year levy for fire protection and emergency medical services, which would cost $140 for each $100,000 of property value, based on the county auditor’s assessment of market value.
1,281 (55.89%) FOR / 1,011 (44.11%) AGAINST

Mary Ann Township

Renewal of a 1.5-mill, five-year levy for fire protection and emergency medical services, which would cost $42 for each $100,000 of property value, based on the county auditor’s assessment of market value.
523 (63.39%) FOR / 302 (36.61%) AGAINST

Newark Township

An additional 1.5-mill, five-year levy for road repair and construction, which would cost $20 for each $100,000 of property value, based on the county auditor’s assessment of market value.
671 (55.41%) FOR / 540 (44.59%) AGAINST

Perry Township

Establishing zoning regulations for the unincorporated territory of the the township in accordance with its comprehensive plan “to conserve and protect property values and rights; to secure the most appropriate use of land; to guide the orderly development of agricultural, residential, commercial, and industrial areas; and to promote the public health, safety, morals, comforts, convenience, and general welfare of the township.”
312 (47.85%) YES / 340 (52.15%) AGAINST

Washington Township

Renewal of a 3-mill, five-year levy for road repair and construction, which would cost $89 for each $100,000 of property value, based on the county auditor’s assessment of market value.
238 (55.09%) FOR / 194 (44.91%) AGAINST

Pataskala Public Library

Renewal of a 1-mill levy for five years for library operations. It would amount to $21 for each $100,000 of property value, based on the county auditor’s assessment of market value.
6,757 (52.40%) FOR / 6,139 (47.60%) AGAINST

Southwest Licking Local School District

Replacement of an existing 0.75% income tax with a 2% income tax on earned income for residents of the school district starting Jan. 1, 2027, to pay for school operations. (If the new tax is not approved, the 0.75% tax will remain in place.)
4,226 (32.77%) FOR / 8,671 (67.23%) AGAINST

A bond issue to raise more than $80million(80,710,000) to acquire real estate and to build, renovate and furnish school buildings. The bond, which amounts to a loan, would be repaid over 35 years and would amount to an estimated 2.87 mills in property taxes. For property owners, that would amount to $100 for each $100,000 of property value, based on the county auditor’s assessment of market value.
5,123 (39.60%) FOR / 7,814 (60.40%) AGAINST

Liquor options

Johnstown (precinct A): Sunday sales of wine and mixed beverages at the Johnstown Duchess store at 233 W. Coshocton St.
565 (69.5%) YES / 248 (30.5%) NO

Johnstown (precinct B): Sunday sale of wine and mixed beverages at Granville Milling Company Country Store, 11891 Johnstown-Utica Road.
495 (76.27%) YES / 154 (23.73%) NO

Newark (precinct 2-B): Sunday sale of wine and mixed beverages at the Duchess store at 224 Union St.
447 (68.14%) YES / 209 (31.86%)

Newark (precinct 2-B): Sunday sales of wine and mixed beverages at the Mill Wheel Tavern (aka Naughty Pine Pizza) at 495 Wehrle Ave.
474 (71.28%) YES / 191 (28.72%) NO

Etna Township (precinct C): Sunday sale of wine and mixed beverages at the Duchess store at 10202 Hazelton Etna Rd. SW, Pataskala.
600 (62.63%) YES / 358 (37.37%) NO