The Ohio Primary Election is March 19, and once you’ve made your plan to vote, the next step is to figure out who you’re voting for.
Who’s on the ballot? You can find a sample ballot for your district online. And don’t stress about remembering everything you research. When making your decisions, you can jot down notes to bring to the voting booth.
The League of Women Voters’ Vote 411 website has a more in-depth look at the candidates and their platforms, but here are some of the races you can expect to see on the ballot.
This list of candidates on the primary ballot for Akron residents is not comprehensive, but it will provide a strong reference for you to know what to expect when you get your ballot.
If there’s a link in the listing, it will lead to outside information such as the candidate’s website (although some candidates don’t have one). If there’s no link, it means we couldn’t find anything we thought would be useful to help you choose a candidate.
Candidates who are no longer running for the office are marked, in most instances, as “withdrawn.”
U.S. Senator
Frank LaRose, Republican
Matt Dolan, Republican
Bernie Moreno, Republican
Sherrod Brown, Democrat
U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio District 13
Emilia Sykes, Democrat, incumbent
Christopher Banweg, Republican
Kevin Coughlin, Republican
Richard Morckel, Republican
State Senate District 28
Vernon Sykes is the current office holder, but Ohio state senators may only serve up to two four-year terms.
Jon Leissler, Republican
Casey Weinstein, Democrat
State House District 33
Veronica Sims, Democrat
There is no Republican challenger for this seat.
Summit County Executive
Ilene L. Shapiro, Democrat
There is no Republican challenger for this seat.
Summit County Prosecutor
Elliot Kolkovich was appointed to the position in February after former Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh retired.
Elliot Kolkovich, Democrat
John W. Greven, Republican
Summit County Clerk of Courts
Tavia Galonski was appointed to the position in January after Sandra Kurt was elected to the Akron Municipal Court clerk’s office.
Napoleon Rodgers Jr., Republican
Katie Reed, Republican
Tavia Galonski, Democrat
Summit County Sheriff
Kandy Fatheree, Democrat, incumbent
Shane Barker, Republican
Summit County Fiscal Officer
Scott Sigel, Republican
Kristen M. Scalise, Democrat, incumbent
Summit County Engineer
Alan Brubaker, Democrat, incumbent
Summit County Council
District 2
John Schmidt, Democrat, incumbent
There is no Republican challenger for this seat.
District 4
Jeff Wilhite, Democrat, incumbent
There is no Republican challenger for this seat.
District 5
Brandon Ford, Democrat, incumbent
Ralph Paulk, Democrat
Cynthia D. Blake, Republican
District 6
Nick Rubino, Republican
Christine Wiedie Higham, Democrat, incumbent
District 7
Ryan Shank, Democrat, write in
Bethany McKenney, Republican, incumbent
District 8
Joseph A. Kacyon, Republican
Rick Justice, Democrat
Matt Shaughnessy, Democrat
Supreme Court of Ohio (full term commencing Jan. 1, 2025)
Michael P. Donnelly, Democrat
Megan E. Shanahan, Republican
Supreme Court of Ohio (full term commencing Jan. 2, 2025)
Melody J. Stewart, Democrat
Joseph T. Deters, Republican
Supreme Court of Ohio (unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2026)
Terri Jamison, Democrat
Lisa Forbes, Democrat
Daniel R. Hawkins, Republican
9th District Court of Appeals (full term commencing Feb. 9, 2025)
Jennifer Hensal, Republican
Steve Elliott, Democrat
Summit County Court of Common Pleas General Division (full term commencing Jan. 1, 2025)
Kathryn Michael, Democrat
There is no Republican challenger for this seat.
Summit County Court of Common Pleas General Division (full term commencing Jan. 2, 2025)
Jennifer D. Towell, Democrat
Joseph James Darwal, Republican
Summit County Court of Common Pleas General Division (full term commencing May 17, 2025)
Susan K. Steinhauer, Republican
Susan Baker Ross, Democrat
