The Licking County Board of Elections met on Tuesday, Feb. 17, and certified candidates who filed in Licking County for the May 5 ballot.
The only change from the filing deadline of Feb. 4 was that Rob Platte, R, Pataskala, withdrew from the face for the Republican Central Committee.
The deadline to register to vote in the May 5 primary is April 6, and early voting begins on April 7. Elections Board Deputy Director Brian Mead noted that a recent law change requires that all absentee ballots must be returned to the elections board by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. In the past, people voting absentee had up to four days after the election to return their ballots.
| Read more: May primary: Branstool seeks different judicial position; Newark and Alexandria again ask for income-tax increases
The elections board approved, once again, moving the Granville village precincts across N. Main Street from First Presbyterian Church to Centenary United Methodist Church because of ongoing renovation work at the Presbyterian church. And the board set its next meeting for 11:30 a.m. on March 23 at the County Administration Building, 20 S. 2nd Street, in downtown Newark.
Here are all of the candidates and issues that will appear on the primary ballot:
Candidates
(Addresses are mailing addresses.)
U.S. Senate
Sherrod Brown (D)
Ron Kincaid (D)
Jon Husted (R) (incumbent)
Jeffrey M. Kanter (L)
William B. Redpath (L)
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
Amy Acton, David Pepper (D)
Heather Hill, Stuart Moats (R)
Casey Putsch, Kimberly C. Georgeton (R)
Vivek Ramaswamy, Robert A. McColley (R)
Donald C. Kissick, James L. Mills (L)
Attorney General of Ohio
Elliott Forhan (D)
John J. Kulewicz (D)
Keith Faber (R)
Secretary of State of Ohio
Bryan Hambley (D)
Allison Russo (D)
Robert Sprague (R)
Marcell Strbich (R)
Tom Pruss (L)
Auditor of State of Ohio
Annette Blackwell (D)
Frank LaRose (R)
Treasurer of State of Ohio
Seth Walsh (D)
Jay Edwards (R)
Kristina D. Roegner (R)
Ohio Supreme Court (Full term commencing Jan. 1, 2027)
Daniel R. Hawkins (R) (incumbent)
Marilyn Zayas (D)
Ohio Supreme Court (Full term commencing Jan. 2, 2027)
Jennifer Brunner (D) (incumbent)
Andrew King (R)
Jill Lanzinger (R)
Ronald Lewis (R)
Colleen O’Donnell (R)
U.S. Representative to Congress from the 12th District:
Troy Balderson, R, Zanesville (incumbent)
Jerrad Christian, D, Galena
Daniel Crawford, D, Newark
Jason Reynard, D, Newark
Ohio State Representative from the 68th District
Thad Claggett, R, Newark (incumbent)
Mason Blankenship, D, Pataskala
Ohio State Representative from the 69th District
Kevin D. Miller, R, Newark (incumbent)
Amy Rigsby, D, Amanda
Judge, Fifth District Court of Appeals (One seat, full term commencing Feb. 9, 2027)
Matt Donahue, Pickerington
Jeff Furr, Utica
Matthew George, Newark
Judge, Licking County Common Pleas Court, General Division
Thomas M. Marcelain, R, Newark (incumbent)
Judge, Licking County Common Pleas Court, Probate/Juvenile
Michael R. Dalsanto, D, Newark
Deborah G. Lang, R, Newark (incumbent)
Judge, Licking County Common Pleas Court, Domestic Relations
David Branstool, D, Alexandria
Richard P. Wright, R, Glenford (incumbent)
Licking County Auditor
Michael L. Smith, R, Granville (incumbent)
Licking County Commissioner
Mary McLeish, D, Newark
Bill Bogantz, R, Johnstown|
Jeff Rath, R, Newark
Gregory Smith, R, Newark
James Snedden Jr., R, St. Louisville
Mark Van Buren, R, Hebron
Democratic State Central Committee, 20th District man
Joe Begeny, D, Reynoldsburg
Todd Shafer, D, Glenford
Democratic State Central Committee, 20th District woman
Stephanie Dodd, D, Granville
Susan J. Haas, D, Hopewell
Republican State Central Committee, 20th District man
Shelby X. Hunt, R, Pickerington
Nicholas S. Rhodes, R, Pickerington
Republican State Central Committee, 20th District woman
Anna Breen, R, Newark
Cheryl K. Ricketts, R, Pickerington
Libertarian State Central Committee, 12th District
Steven Perkins, L, Pataskala
Libertarian County Central Committee, Licking County
Steven Perkins, L, Pataskala
Issues
Licking County Transit Authority: A countywide additional sales and use tax of 0.15% for 10 years for general revenue “to preserve and improve transit services and ensure long-term service availability to support access to transportation.”
Newark City: An additional 0.5% income tax for general revenue to be dedicated specifically to police and fire services. (A request for the same amount failed in the November election. That request was for the general fund and not specifically for police and fire services. If approved, it would raise the income tax in Newark to 2.25% from the current 1.75%. The vote in November was 57.56% against the tax increase.)
Newark City: Charter amendment to allow ordinances, resolutions, statements, orders, proclamations, notices and reports to be published as required in accordance with one of the methods prescribed by Ohio Revised Code 731.21. (The options are to publish them in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipal corporation; on the official public notice web site established under section 125.182 of the Revised Code; or on the website and social media account of the municipal corporation.)
Alexandria Village: An additional 0.5% income tax to a total rate of 1.5% for general municipal functions, including street improvements, village maintenance, and police services, effective July 1, 2026. (A similar request failed in a 58-58 tie in May 2025.)
Hanover Village: An additional property tax of 3 mills for five years, commencing in 2026 and first due in 2027 for the purpose of maintaining, repairing, and constructing streets in the village. The county auditor estimates the tax will collect $142,451 annually. It would cost a property owner an additional $105 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value.
Hanover Village: Renewal of a 1-mill, 3-year property tax levy for fire protection and emergency medical services. The county auditor estimates the tax will collect $27,762 annually and cost property owners $18 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value, commencing in 2026 and first due in 2027.
Hanover Township: An additional property of 0.5 mills for five years to maintain and operate cemeteries. The county auditor estimates the tax will collect $66,335 annually and will cost property owners $18 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value.
Newark Township: An additional property tax of 1.5 mills for five years for general construction, reconstruction, resurfacing and repair of streets, roads and bridges. The county auditor estimates it will collect $174,556 annually and cost a property owner $53 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value, commencing in 2026 and first due in 2027.
Homer Fire District (Burlington Township and overlapping into Knox County): Renewal of a 5-mill, three-year property tax for fire protection and emergency medical services. The county auditor estimates it will collect $541,387 annually, and will cost a property owner $139 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s market value, commencing in 2026 and first due in 2027.
River View Local School District (Eden Township Precinct 4, overlapping from Coshocton County): Renewal of a 4.8-mill property tax for a continuing period of time for current expenses. The county auditor estimates it will collect $1,736,533 annually and cost property owners $106 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s market value, commencing in 2026 and first due in 2027.
Alan Miller writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.