Election Day approaches: What to expect on the ballot

While no Butler County voter will see all 40 issues on their individual ballots, all voters can play a part in the state’s most prominent races — two with regional ties — including the U.S. Senate race between Butler County’s Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance, R-Middletown, and current U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, who are each vying to replace the retiring Sen. Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati.

Both U.S. Senate campaigns will host rallies on the eve of the election as final bids to garner support, which will see Ryan in Youngstown on Monday as Vance is joined by former President Donald J. Trump at a rally in Vandalia.

In 2018, which was the last time a U.S. Senate seat was up for grabs, Butler County voters favored the Republican candidate Jim Renacci by 18 points over Democratic incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown. Brown won the state by 6.8 points.

U.S. House of Representatives

As for all U.S. Representatives, the two-year term for Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Troy, is up. Davidson, the incumbent who has represented the Eighth Congressional District, which includes all of Butler County, since 2016, is taking on challenger Democrat Vanessa Enoch for the third time in a row. Davidson most recently won by 38 points.

Ohio Governor

The region’s candidate connection extends to the state’s gubernatorial race, too, as former Dayton mayor and Democratic nominee Nan Whaley takes on incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine in his first electoral challenge since he took office in 2018.

In 2018, Butler County voters overwhelmingly favored DeWine, as he won the county by nearly 25 points over his Democratic challenger, Rich Cordray. DeWine won the race by 3.7 points.

Ohio Statehouse officials

All county voters will have some say in who goes to the Statehouse. All four State Representative seats that represent portions of Butler County are up for re-election, as well as one of the county’s two State Senate seats (four-year terms).

Note: Ohio’s state districts have changed, resulting in new boundaries and new district names for this year’s election.

Those vying for seats in the Ohio House of Representatives includes:

Meanwhile, Butler County’s possible impact on the State Senate is more limited as State Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, is the only state senator representing Butler County that’s up for re-election this year. Huffman’s only challenger is Independent write-in candidate Nancy Kiehl, a registered Democrat with a Dayton-addressed campaign.

District 5, Huffman’s district, covers a portion of northern Butler County.

Area school districts

Voters in Talawanda, Ross and Kings school districts will vote on proposed property tax increases to further fund their respective local schools.

The Journal-News previously reported that some homeowners in the three districts have enthusiastically supported the proposed school property tax hikes, citing a want to maintain educational quality in their local schools.

Others, however, have cited a worsening economy and the costs of a rising inflation as reasons behind their opposition to any new taxes for schools.

Butler County

The county will ask voters to preserve and extend the 2-mill levy Butler County’s Children Services (BCCS), which funds 59% of the agency’s services.

The Journal-News previously reported that Butler County property owners pay about $55 to $57 a year per $100,000 of assessed value. Cumulatively, the levy collects about $14.4 million a year.

As it stands, the levy is set to expire at the end of 2023. If it’s not renewed, the agency projects that it would fall into a deficit by 2025.

ELECTION 2022

Visit journal-news.com/elections for more on each candidate and a breakdown of issues, including the Ross zoning issue, charter amendments in multiple localities, other levies and more.