Ohio Primary 2024: Franklin County voters hit polls for U.S. Senate and prosecutors race

Columbus voters took to the polls Tuesday to vote in a grab bag of local, state and national races that could shape control of the U.S. Senate, change who prosecutes crimes in Franklin County, shift ideological control of the Ohio Supreme Court and more.

The biggest statewide race was the battle among three candidates seeking the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in the Nov. 5 general election — a race that could help determine which party controls that chamber in 2025.

For Democrats, the most significant statewide race involves choosing which of two candidates should be the party nominee to fight for one of three contested Ohio Supreme Court justice seats in November.

Locally, voters are choosing the Democratic nominee for the Franklin County Prosecutor race and voting on several school levies and issues.

For up-to-the-minute coverage of the 2024 Ohio primary election, visit dispatch.com or check out Thursday's print edition.

Here's what you need to know about how voting is going on Tuesday.

Live updates: Ohio primary election: Look for live updates all day, results tonight

What did voters say about the Senate primary?

Before the sun came up, voter Robert Dunn was out at his polling location, the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Upper Arlington, to cast his vote for Bernie Moreno.

"He's a businessman. He hasn't been a career politician, so I like that," Dunn said.

Around a mile away at the First Community Church in Marble Cliff, voter Dave Bell said he chose to support Matt Dolan after a "process of elimination,"

"I'm voting against the Trump-endorsed candidate, Bernie Moreno; and LaRose, he doesn't fire me up," he said.

Former Ohio congressman and current Ohio Chamber of Commerce president Steve Stivers also cast his vote at the First Community Church Tuesday but declined to say which Senate primary candidate he chose.

"I'm voting for who I think is the best candidate," he said.

In Worthington, voter Bill Dotzauer said he chose Matt Dolan because he was not the Trump-endorsed candidate.

"I don't think it's good for the country, teaching our children that it's OK to deny reality and make up the truth," Dotzauer said about Trump.

Another voter, David Baker, said he supported Dolan because he "seemed like the most reasonable candidate".

A steady stream of Democrats, like voter Theresa Gibb, also came through to cast their votes for incumbent Sherrod Brown despite him not facing any challengers in the primary.

"I think he's done a great job over the years and is one of the few politicians who can win elections," Gibb said.

What did voters say about Trump and Biden?

Though the presidential primary at this stage is a formality, with President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump both having secured enough delegates to clinch their respective nominations, voters were eager to discuss the presidential election.

Linda Peaks voted for Biden at Blackburn Community Center at about 10 a.m. She said she supports the president because she believes in his leadership.

“He listens,” Peaks said. “Then he reacts. And he seems to take into account what people are saying to him or even about him. So that's what I like about him.”

Sandy Miller and Jon Taffle also voted for Biden. Taffle said he thought the Biden administration had sound stances on infrastructure, health care and foreign support for Ukraine.

“I mean, these are things that a president should be doing to look out for his country,” Taffle said.

What's voter turnout like?

Official voter turnout figures will not be available until after the polls close, but early voting statewide and in Franklin County indicates turnout will likely be low for Tuesday's elections.

At polling locations in Upper Arlington and Worthington, around 20 voters per hour trickled in to vote in the early morning before they went to work.

A poll worker at Schiller Recreation Center called the morning “eerily quiet” — usually, several voters spill in when doors open at 6:30 a.m., but on Tuesday, the precinct was empty.

At Blackburn Community Center, poll workers passed the time with coloring pages as voters slowly trickled through.

By 11 a.m. at Driving Park Community Recreation Center, 164 voters had signed in. A manager at the location said voters didn’t seem as energized for this election as they were for the special election in August, and turnout was slow.

Stivers said he expected voter turnout to remain low as the day progressed.

"The presidential race is over in both parties. Not an exciting reason for a lot of people to come out," he said.

During the last presidential election year primary in March 2020, around 1.8 million Ohioans, or 23% of voters, hit the polls.

Dispatch editor Jim Wilhelm contributed to this report.

For up-to-the-minute coverage of the 2024 Ohio primary election, visit dispatch.com or check out Thursday's print edition.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Primary 2024: What Columbus voters are saying about Tuesday's election