A line of hundreds of voters snaked around the Franklin County Board of Elections building at lunch time on Monday ahead of the 2026 midterm elections Nov. 3.
Over the weekend, Ohio's most populous county hit 54,000 early in-person voters, which is 6,000 more than all the in-person voters by Election Day in 2022. There is still a little more than one week to vote early, meaning this total will only grow ahead of contentious elections for Ohio's governor and the U.S. Senate.
Mail-in voting, however, is down in Franklin County with more than 80,000 requests in and a Tuesday deadline to request a mail-in ballot looming. In 2022, more than 100,000 Franklin County residents requested mail-in ballots.
All of these totals are far lower than the typical presidential election year. In 2024, more than 120,000 people requested a mail-in ballot and more than 120,000 people voted early, in-person.
Voters can go to their county board of elections this week, with hours on some days going as late as 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Early voting is also available on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. There is no early voting on Monday, Nov. 2, one day before Election Day.
Southside Columbus resident Daijay Yarber brought her daughter, Alexa Vaughn, to vote for the first time. Yarber said her own mother scolded her for waiting until now.
"It's always important to vote. I would never say there's one particular issue anytime it is time to vote, because it's of the utmost importance that we just make sure our voices are heard, which is why I brought my daughter Alexa," Yarber said.
Yarber and Vaughn both said they voted a straight Democratic ticket this year.
Yarber said she's struck by how nasty the attack ads against candidates have become this year.
"I think a lot of what has come up in this particular campaign and the attacks on the individual person has been very deplorable. It's been terrible to see," she said.
Both Yarber and Vaughn pointed to a recent attack ad by Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy against Democratic candidate Amy Acton. In the ad, Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, accuses her of lying and urges people not to vote for her.
Acton hasn't spoken to her mother in nearly 50 years after Acton's stepfather, Cledith Arthur, raped her. Donna Arthur's custody was revoked and she chose to flee authorities with her husband across state lines. Donna Arthur remained married to Cledith Arthur until he died in 2004.
"To bash somebody that low, especially something so traumatic, and that lives with people, something so deep like that. So I just think it wasn't needed. And I feel like that would affect others," Vaughn said.
Maurice Rice, a northeast Columbus resident and comedian, also voted Monday. He said he voted for Acton for governor and for former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown for Senate. Brown is running against incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jon Husted, who was appointed to the seat after JD Vance became Donald Trump's vice presidential running mate.
Hill said the national spotlight on Ohio this year shows Republicans are getting desperate and voters are frustrated with the party in power.
"I don't think everybody's oblivious to the dumpster fire. I think some of us may be trying to get water a lot quicker than others, and maybe others aren't trying to get any water at all," Hill said.
Hill said Republicans like Ramaswamy have "beyond crossed a line" and voters have noticed.
"Regardless of what gladiator sport you choose to be in, as we may call it, we still live in a moral high ground when it comes to certain aspects of life, especially as a father, I think there's certain lines you draw," Hill said.
Hill said the Ramaswamy ad and President Donald Trump repeatedly visiting Ohio to campaign shows a "desperation" from the party in power to hold onto power.
Groups push to get young voters and Black voters motivated to cast ballots
Young Black voters like Hill and Vaughn are part of a wide electorate that could impact what are expected to be close races for Ohio governor and U.S. Senate.
Vaughn, a Columbus Alternative High School graduate, said she's always wanted to vote since she saw President Barack Obama as president. She said she heard about Obama rallying voters to support Brown and Acton this weekend in Cleveland, which made her want to vote even more.
While it took an hour, Vaughn said it's clear to her how important it is to vote.
"Especially young Black men as well they highly think that their vote doesn't matter and I continuously talk to them and explain how important it is to vote and that your vote does matter," Vaughn said.
Hill said society is at a boiling point right now and he's not surprised there was such a long line at noon on a Monday.
"I kind had a feeling just the way things transpired, the way people were talking, it just kind of lit a lot of fire in order for a lot of voters to try to make a change," Hill said.
Columbus Stand Up is one of the community organizations trying to engage young voters ahead of elections every year. The group, led by former U.S. Senate candidate Morgan Harper and Kwesi Low, held a candidate forum earlier this year aimed at young people.
Low told WOSU this year there is a mixed bag among young people choosing whether or not to vote. He said some young people see a momentum for change in today's politics, while others see the system as unsustainable and question whether the elected representation is addressing the needs of everyday people.
"Some people are seeing that as an opportunity to invest and maybe rebuild a broken system, while others are looking at it and saying that maybe too much damage is done, and it might be time to pursue other options," Low said.
Low said it is important to meet young people where they are. Events his group are holding include regular voter forums, as well as a skating event on Sunday.
Low said new groups like his and legacy groups should continue to engage young, Black voters in particular.
"Black people are not a monolith. There's so many different perspectives within the Black community," Low said.
This weekend, Columbus-area National Pan-Hellenic Council fraternity and sorority members, also known as the "Divine Nine," are organizing a "Souls to the Polls" event on Sunday, which is the final day of early voting. That day, early voting runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
