What's on the primary ballot in Madison County? Here's a summary of candidates, issues
Republican voters in Madison County will have more contested races to decide than Democrats in the March 19 primary election.
No Democrats are on the ballot for any Madison County offices in the GOP-majority county. Ohio registered voters decide in the primary election whether they want a Republican, Democratic or unaffiliated ballot. Unaffiliated voters can only cast ballots in this election on local issues that involve their municipality or school district.
Here is a quick rundown of contested candidate races — not including county or state party committee posts — and local issues excluding neighborhood liquor sales that are on the primary ballot in Madison County:
Madison County
Incumbent Republican Commissioner Mark A. Forrest is being challenged in his reelection bid by Cory Coburn, Jim King and Brendan Shea for a four-year term that begins Jan. 2, 2025. The county Board of Elections had declared King's petition invalid because it was not under his registered name of "Banca King," but King's name is on the ballot.
All other current county officeholders are unopposed for reelection. However, no valid candidate petition for county engineer was received and no name will appear on the primary ballot.
Ohio 12th House District representative
Incumbent Brian Stewart and challenger Patty Hamilton are competing in the Republican party primary. The winner will face unopposed Democrat Brad W. Cotton in the Nov. 5 general election.
Ohio 12th District Court of Appeals
Republicans Barbara S. Carter and Melena Siebert are competing for an open judgeship on the Ohio 12th Distrtict Court of Appeals, which handles appeals from common pleas and other courts in eight counties, including Madison County. There are no Democratic candidates.
Ohio Supreme Court
In the only contested primary battle for three seats up for election this year on the state's highest court, Democrats will decide between two appeals court judges for their party's nominee. Tenth District Court of Appeals Judge Terri Jamison, who lost her bid for the high court in 2022, and 8th District Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Forbes are battling to see who will face unopposed Republican Dan Hawkins, a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge, in the Nov. 5 general election.
U.S. House 15th District
Democrats Zerqa Z. Abid and state Rep. Adam Miller, who represents Ohio's 6th House District but is not seeking reelection to that post, are competing in their party's nomination. The winner will face unopposed Republican incumbent Congressman Mike Carey in the November general election.
U.S. Senate
Incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown is unopposed on his party's primary ballot and in November will face the winner among three Republicans battling for their party's nomination: Matt Dolan, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, whose office oversees the state's elections; and Bernie Moreno, who has the endorsement of former President Trump.
Ohio GOP Senate debate: Where primary candidates stand on abortion, immigration, Trump
President of the United States
Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump won enough states as of Super Tuesday to secure their party's nominations. However, Ohio voters will still find party challengers on their primary ballots even though all those challengers have suspended their campaigns.
Local municipal and school issues
Only registered voters in the municipalities and school districts involved will cast ballots on these local issues. Voters will recognize some of them as measures previously rejected that are back for their consideration again.
City of London: A proposed 0.25% increase of the city's municipal income tax is being sought to fund the fire department and EMS. The city currently collects a 0.5% income tax levy for fire and EMS services, but that was intended for one fire station and its staff. It is now two stations, fire & EMS personnel for both, and all associated services.
In the November 2023 general election, voters rejected a proposed new seven-year, 0.25% municipal income tax levy for seven years for the fire department by 52% to 48%. London city officials are warning that staffing reductions and fire and EMS service losses are possible if voters don't approve the measure this time around, and that could affect response times and overall department capabilities. The city says its other option would be to use general fund money for the fire department expenses, but that would potentially divert funds from future capital projects like roads and infrastructure, as well as from community programs.
Madison-Plains Local School District: Located largely in Madison County but partially in Franklin County, is seeking approval of a 5.4-mill, 37-year bond issue that would raise $55.36 million for the district's portion of the cost of building a pre-K though grade 12 building and career tech on the current campus. The remaining funds would come from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission Exceptional Needs School Facilities Assistance Program state. The existing intermediate and high school buildings would be demolished. If approved, it would cost homeowners an additional $189 in property taxes for each $100,000 of county appraised value. District voters rejected the same request in November.
Fairbanks Local School District: Located in Madison and Union counties, the district is asking voters to approve a 0.25% income tax hike beginning Jan. 1, 2025, and a 1.84-mill property tax for 30 years to cover the cost of a $12 million bond issue. Together, the two sources would generate $23 million to pay for the district's portion of renovating the shared middle and high school building, adding 19,000 square feet to the front of the building, a 12,000-square-foot gymnasium, and constructing school facilities. Additional funding would come through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.
Anticipated growth is the reason, Superintendent Adham Schirg said. He said district officials have gone through a master planning process with the community since 2021.
Beyond the income tax, the 1.84-mill property tax would cost $64 for each $100,000 of a district property owner's appraised property value as determined by their county auditor's office.
Range Township: Voters there are being asked to renew for five years a 1.20-mill property tax used to fund maintenance and operation of township cemeteries. The tax costs property owners $42 for each $100,000 of the county auditor's appraised value.
How can I see everything that is on my primary ballot?
You must be a registered voter as of Feb. 20 to vote in the March primary. To see everything that is on your individual ballot, go to www.boe.ohio.gov/madison/election-info/, click "Ballots," and enter your information.
What are the key dates for the Ohio primary election?
Voter registration for the primary is over. Early in-person voting began Feb. 21 at county board of elections.
March 12: Deadline for absentee ballot applications
March 18: Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by this day.
March 19: Primary Election Day. Polls in Ohio are open 6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. You can find your polling place at voteohio.gov. Absentee ballots not mailed by the March 18 deadline must be delivered to the drop box at your county board of elections by 7:30 p.m.
March 23: Mailed absentee ballots postmarked on or before March 18 must arrive at county boards of elections by this day to be counted.
How to vote by mail
You can get an application to request a mail-in ballot one of two ways: Ask your board of elections to mail you one, or download the application online. You can request an absentee ballot for the March primary until close of business on March 12.
To cast a ballot by mail, voters must provide a copy of their photo ID, driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.
Completed ballots must be postmarked by March 18 and received by boards of elections no later than March 23 to be counted. If you don't mail your ballot in time, you can take it to the drop box at your county board of elections before polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
How to vote early in-person
Ohioans can vote early at their county's designated location, which is almost always your county board of elections. Visit voteohio.gov to find your county's early voting spot.
Early in-person voting hours for the March primary are:
March 11: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
March 12: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
March 13-15: 7:30 a.m.to 7:30 p.m.
March 16: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
March 17: 1-5 p.m.
Per the new voting law, Ohio no longer offers early in-person voting on the Monday before the election (March 18).
What kind of ID do I need to vote in person?
Ohio now requires voters to show a photo ID when they cast in-person ballots, either early or on Election Day. The ID must be unexpired, but it doesn't need to have your current address on it. Other documents, such as utility bills and bank statements, are no longer accepted.
The following documents qualify:
Ohio driver's license
Ohio state ID
U.S. passport or passport card
U.S. Military ID, Ohio National Guard ID or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID
Interim identification issued by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Free state IDs are available to residents at BMV deputy registrar locations. More information can be found at bmv.ohio.gov.
What if I forget my ID?
If you don't have your ID or run into other problems at the polls on Election Day, you can cast a provisional ballot.
Voters have four days to provide any missing information to election officials. Boards of elections have until eight days after the election to determine which provisional ballots can be counted.
Haley BeMiller, a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which includes The Columbus Dispatch, contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Here are contested candidate races, issues on Madison County ballot
