There's no denying Cincinnati is a Democratic city.

But in this year’s City Council race, there are some wedge issues that could give the candidates of the Charter Committee, the Republican Party and those running without a party endorsement a chance to break through the Democrats’ dominance. Even one or two seats not won by a Democrat in the Nov. 4 election would cause a huge spike on the Richter Scale of Cincinnati politics.

In July, WVXU Senior Political Analyst Howard Wilkinson wrote about the defining issues in this year's local election, including Council's controversial decisions on Connected Communities and the Hyde Park Square development.

Nearly 29,000 Hamilton County residents have already voted, either casting an in-person ballot during the early vote period, or returning an absentee ballot.

That's less than half the early vote total in the 2023 general election, but is slightly higher than 2021.

Within the city of Cincinnati, 1,768 absentee ballots have not been returned as of Sunday evening. Ballots submitted via mail can still be counted as long as they are post-marked Nov. 3 or earlier.

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Cincinnati City Council candidate Kevin Farmer plans to drop out of the race, according to WLWT.

WVXU has reached out to Farmer but has not been able to independently confirm the report.

Farmer was arrested early Saturday morning and is being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center on a combined $60,000 bond. He is charged with burglary and violating a protection order. A court date is set for Nov. 12.

This is the latest in a series of legal incidents involving Farmer over the past few months. In July, he was charged with domestic violence and assault for allegedly punching and choking a woman; the charges were later dropped because the woman did not appear in court. In September, the same woman was arrested for allegedly pointing a gun at Farmer; the prosecutor's office confirmed police did not find a firearm after searching her house.

Farmer has not officially notified the Board of Elections he is withdrawing from the race. It is too late to re-print ballots without his name, but BOE Director Shery Poland says a candidate could still withdraw.

A candidate must submit notice in writing with a “wet” signature, meaning an original signature (not a scanned or faxed copy). If notice of withdrawal is submitted after ballots have been printed, the BOE is required to post a notice in polling booths informing voters of each candidate that has withdrawn, and explaining that votes for that candidate will not be counted.

Farmer is a Republican, although he was not endorsed by the Hamilton County Republican party. He is one of 26 candidates on the ballot for nine seats on City Council. There is also a certified write-in candidate for the race.

Read more:

• A voter guide to where 2025 Cincinnati Council candidates stand on the issues

• Listen to Kevin Farmer on Cincinnati Edition

All 27 candidates for Cincinnati City Council responded to a WVXU survey asking their policy opinions on several key issues.

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As always, it's officially a nonpartisan election and voters won't see party identifications for the candidates on the ballot. All three of Cincinnati's political parties — Democratic, Republican, and the Charter Committee — have endorsed slates of candidates.

All nine seats are on the ballot, and all seats are at-large — meaning each Cincinnati voter can vote for up to nine candidates, and the top nine vote-getters will win a seat. Twenty-six candidates will appear on the ballot; in addition, there is one certified write-in candidate.

Get to know every single one of them here.

Our voter guide to the 2025 general election in Greater Cincinnati is packed with everything you need to know before casting your vote. Inside you'll find:

• Information on the candidates for mayor
• Answers to questions posed to all 27 candidates for Cincinnati City Council
• An explainer for Issues 2 and 3 on the ballot

...and much, much more.