11 a.m. in Licking County
Samantha Hall (left), Tonya Hall (center) and Nancy Stout (right) cast ballots together in Utica.
“Three generations of voters!,” they told reporter Amelia Kurtz. “We’re voting to hopefully make a difference!”
Lacey Fishero cast her ballot in Utica on Tuesday.
“I always vote, and I think it’s important for everyone to do so,” she told reporter Raymond Tiefenthaler.
“I’ve been voting in every election since I’ve been old enough to vote,” Richard Snavely said after voting in Utica. “It’s important. We can’t get nothing done without it.”
Voting “is one of the great things about being in a Democratic nation,” Chase Seaver said after casting his ballot in Granville.
The issues he cares about, he told reporter Josh Allen, are “social issues, making the country a place where I want to be, where my kids will grow up, and making sure the economy is healthy and we are doing things in the right way.”
“All of the issues matter to me,” Tracey Langley told reporter Kate Swigert after casting her ballot in Croton. “It’s a mess.”
“I might not have all the answers,” Keith Williams said after casting his ballot in Utica. “But if everyone’s voting together, collectively, the outcome will be hopefully good. If we can get everyone out to vote, that would be amazing.”
Nicole Luckeydoo is a nurse, and that’s part of why she cast her vote for governor in support of Democrat Amy Acton.
“I felt like during COVID, she handled everything appropriately,” Luckeydoo told reporter Nolan Ponferrada.
And, she said, she’s looking forward to when “all the political ads stop.”
10 a.m. in Licking County
“Every issue is important to me,” Gordon Crawford said after casting his ballot in Utica. “I think it is imperative to have ID for voting. … We have to have an ID to drive, to drink, so why not to vote?”
In Ohio, voters are casting ballots on statewide issue 3, which would amend the Ohio Constitution to require voter identification
Franklin Davis is the voting location manager at the American Legion polling place in Newark on Election Day.
“We’re actually the smallest location in Licking County,” he told reporter Nolan Ponferrada. “Turnout for a midterm election, usually we’ll see somewhere around 400 or 500 votes [on Election Day]. But we’re already more than halfway there right now.”
“We’re actually the smallest location in Licking County,” he told reporter Nolan Ponferrada. “Turnout for a midterm election, usually we’ll see somewhere around 400 or 500 votes [on Election Day]. But we’re already more than halfway there right now.”
Davis said his parents impressed upon him the importance of voting.
“When I was growing up, my parents talked about threats to the vote, and people wanting to take my vote away, and I listened to them,” he said. “It solidified the importance of voting to me.”
Matt Gritters, a 20-year-old Denison University student, cast his ballot in Granville.
“It’s a disservice to not vote in the best interest of the community,” he said after voting on Tuesday. “I’m concerned about Ohio being a hub for AI data centers.”
“In 1983, when Poland was a communist country, I got to spend a month there,” explained Kenny Lou Whitley, who cast a ballot in Utica on Tuesday. “So I know what it looks like, and our country is going in the wrong direction.”
“It’s a privilege to vote,” Whitley said to reporter Kathryn McCaffrey. “I always vote.”
Steve Sawyer, a Johnstown resident who cast his ballot at the Croton Church of Christ, said he was inspired to vote on Tuesday because he is “Republican all the way,” and wanted to support statewide and federal candidates, he told reporter Kate Swigert.
Denita and Ottianna Johnson cast ballots in Newark on Tuesday morning.
“It seems like the cost of everything has increased, but the blue collar wages aren’t increasing,” Denita (left) said after casting her ballot. “
“I was surprised that I do agree with a couple of Trump’s stances,” Denita continued. “However, he doesn’t have compassion. Especially the way he feels about people of color and poor people. … He seems to be more about industry and technology, not humanity.”
Leah Swan, a registered voter in Granville, said she had some concerns about data centers and about voter ID laws.
“I also want Republicans to win the senate and governorship,” she said.
Dennis Routte said he cast his ballot “to make sure I’m represented,” he told reporters Ellie Whitman and Sophie Davenport after he voted at the Church of Christ in Alexandria.
Jack Wheeler, who cast his vote in Granville, said he is paying particularly close attention to development in the region.
“Everyone is watching … to make sure it doesn’t come back to bite us later,” he said. “Especially with Intel and data center companies. I’m with the Historical Society, so it’s a question of future development and preservation.”
Harry Parker voted in Newark on Tuesday.
“I vote every year,” he told reporter Lyaila Penn. “I’m concerned about the governor’s race. I wish we had a third [option] to vote for.”
David and Marilyn Hannah cast ballots in Granville on Tuesday morning.
David (left) cited his desire for “better and more meaningful support in congress,” and his “dissatisfaction about what’s going on politically.”
“What he said,” Marilyn told reporter Ivan Panov.
At 74 years old, Jeff Fout has been voting for more than 50 years, he told reporter Josh Allen.
“Our country is screwed up right now,” he said after casting his vote in Granville. “The war in Iran, immigration, inflation. Trump is spending all this money on a war and a ballroom, and not feeding the American people.”
David James is a nonpartisan voter, he told reporter Nolan Ponferrada at the American Legion in Newark.
“I was in the first batch of 18-year-olds to vote,” he said. “That was in 1972.”
Theresa (left)and Gary Shively voted together on Tuesday morning at the Church of Christ in Alexandria.
Theresa called voting her “civic duty.”
“I’m concerned about our economy and keeping things rural here in Ohio,” she told reporters Sophie Davenport and Ellie Whitman.
Gary said he was “specifically concerned about the levies” on the ballot.
18-year-old Jerry Brook voted for the first time on Nov. 3, he told reporter Lyaila Penn.
“I felt like using my new right!” he said on Tuesday morning. “My first time voting went alright — I just had to have a little help.”
Adriann Brierley, who cast her ballot at the American Legion in Newark, called this midterm election “very important: The house and the senate are up for grabs.”
Brierley told reporter Lyaila Penn that she was concerned about taxes and the high cost of gas and groceries.
7 a.m. in Granville
Diane Capaci, who cast her ballot at Bryn Du Mansion, said she votes every election.
“Always,” she told TRP reporter Maddie Luebkert.
Jim Bidigare served as a polling location manager at Bryn Du Fieldhouse this election.
“There’s an oath we all take on Election Day that we’re going to uphold the constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Ohio,” he explained. “And I do troubleshooting throughout the day. I’m doing a coffee run now, but normally, we handle any issues, and we have a great group of volunteers here who have been doing this work for years, so it’s an easy place to manage, because people know what they’re doing.”
“It’s an insane amount of detail and testing and making sure that everything runs smoothly for when voters come. They are working really hard to protect the voter security.”
John Hunter brought his dog, Theo — named after the genus of the chocolate plant, Theobroma — with him to vote on Tuesday.
“I vote in every election,” he said. “It’s our civic duty as citizens in our democracy, and it makes me feel like I’m engaging instead of just shouting into the void.”
21-year-old Wilson Foster, a Granville resident, said she cast her ballot because it’s both a responsibility and her privilege.
“I enjoyed reading about the levies, and I support anything related to environmental issues,” she said on Tuesday morning.
Adam Koons, a Granville resident, said the most important issues to him is the governor’s race between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton.
“The fair school funding plan which Amy Acton has is critical for our schools,” he told TRP reporter Nora Meeks. “School funding from the state is at an all-time historic low.”
Tricia Greer, a Granville resident, called voting both a right and an obligation. This year, one of the most important issues on the ballot to Greer was voter ID laws: Statewide Issue 3.
Chuck Bellofatto, a Granville resident, said he votes in every election, but saw this election as an opportunity to oppose how negative advertisements were throughout this cycle.
“All of the races were important to me, but in particular, I wanted to come out and vote in protest of how negative the ads are,” he said.
Chris Birdsall, a Granville township resident, said it’s his “duty as a citizen to vote,” and he wants to “make sure my voice is heard,” he told TRP reporters Maddie Luebkert and Nora Meeks.
Joe Kovitch, a Granville voter, said he came out to vote on Tuesday “because I believe that the beauty of democracy is that we all have the right to vote,” he told TRP reporters Nora Meeks and Maddie Luebkert. and Nora Meeks.
Brian Barkett, who grew up in Youngstown but has lived in Granville for decades, said he has voted in every election since he turned 18.
“2026 is going to be noted as either the 250th anniversary of American democracy, or the date that’s going on the death certificate of American democracy,” Barkett told TRP reporters Maddie Luebkert and Nora Meeks.
At 6:42 a.m., the parking lot at Bryn Du Fieldhouse is filling, and voters are passing through the polling location without much wait. Fog coats the expansive field in front of Bryn Du.
6:30 a.m. in Licking County
Happy Election Day, Licking County! Polls will officially open at 6:30 a.m., and will remain open until 7:30 tonight.
Throughout the day, journalists from The Reporting Project will be on the ground at Licking County’s 27 polling locations, meeting with voters and discussing election results with candidates. We’ll share those results as soon as we have them.
Today, Licking County’s 126,061 registered voters will have the opportunity to weigh in on several contested races, including county-wide initiatives and for a new Licking County commissioner. Many voters will also see data center bans, school levies and more on their ballots today.
More than 25,000 ballots were cast in Licking County during early voting, Licking County Board of Elections Deputy Director Tess Wigginton said the week prior to Election Day. That includes more than 17,000 cast in-person and another 10,000 cast by mail.
Unsure of where you should vote? Find your polling place with this lookup tool.