Acton Elected Ohio Governor as Columbus Voters Overhaul City Council

Amy Acton will serve as Ohio's next governor after defeating Vivek Ramaswamy in Tuesday's election. The Associated Press called the race for Acton on election night. Preliminary results showed Acton ahead by roughly 51 percent to 46 percent. She is the first Democrat elected to the office since Ted Strickland in 2006. She is also the first woman to hold the position. Acton, a physician and former director of the Ohio Department of Health, campaigned on affordability and access to health care. She will replace Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who is leaving office after serving two terms.

The night brought other major shifts in Ohio's political map. Former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown won his seat in the U.S. Senate. Brown defeated appointed Republican incumbent Jon Husted. Preliminary results showed Brown with about 49 percent of the vote to Husted's 46 percent. Brown previously represented Ohio in the Senate from 2007 to 2025. He lost his reelection bid to Bernie Moreno in 2025. Husted was appointed to the seat in 2025 after JD Vance became vice president.

Franklin County voters made changes to their representation in the U.S. House. Joyce Beatty won reelection in Ohio's 3rd Congressional District. She defeated Republican challenger Cleophus Dulaney. The 3rd District includes much of the north and east sides of Franklin County. In Ohio's 15th District, Democrat Don Leonard defeated incumbent Republican Mike Carey. This district covers the south and west sides of Franklin County and extends into other parts of the state. Both races were called by election night, giving Democrats another seat in Ohio's congressional delegation.

Columbus residents approved two ballot issues that will change City Council elections. Issue 8 and Issue 9 both passed. These amendments move the city toward district-only voting. Currently, voters across the entire city cast ballots for all nine council seats. Under the new system, residents will vote only for the council member representing their own district. Issue 8 was a citizen-led proposal that kept the council at nine members. Issue 9 was placed on the ballot by City Council and added four at-large seats, expanding the body to 13 members.

With both issues passing, the city will implement the changes from both amendments. Two new at-large seats are expected to be added in 2028. Two more at-large seats will follow in 2030. The result follows years of debate over how Columbus residents are represented on City Council. Supporters of the changes argued that district-only voting gives neighborhoods a more direct voice. The proposals also drew disagreement over the addition of at-large seats and other changes included in Issue 9.

Statewide voters also approved Issue 3. This constitutional amendment addresses the state's voter identification requirements. A yes vote adds Ohio's current photo ID requirement for voting to the state constitution. The requirement is already in state law, so the amendment does not create a new photo ID rule. It would make future changes to that requirement subject to the constitutional amendment process. Preliminary results showed the measure passing by roughly 66 percent to 34 percent.

These are election-night results, not certified totals. County boards of elections will continue processing and verifying ballots before the state certifies the results. The Ohio Secretary of State expects certified results to be published about three weeks after the election.