2018 Ohio midterm elections

In the months leading up to the midterms, Ohio election officials tried to make their computer systems harder to hack.

They role-played how to handle cyberattacks and received help from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

They say last week’s vote went off without major cybersecurity problems. Now they have to prepare for an even bigger election—the 2020 presidential race.

The Green Party and the Libertarian Party of Ohio appear to be on the verge of no longer being recognized as minor parties, based on the results of last week’s vote and a state law from 2013.

Gov.-elect Mike DeWine and incoming Secretary of State Frank LaRose have announced their transition teams – the people who will help set policy, personnel and priorities for the next four years.

With the polls closed across the state, the midterm election results are trickling in.

Among the first statewide contests to be decided is the race for Ohio’s United States Senate seat. 

Democratic two-term incumbent Sherrod Brown has won against GOP fourth-term Congressman Jim Renacci by a double-digit margin of around 14 points.

Renacci had campaigned with the support of President Donald Trump.

The major party candidates for governor are spending this last full day of campaigning pushing for votes in what is coming down to be a close race. 

The Ohio Auditor is considered the state’s top taxpayer watchdog, reviewing the books and doing efficiency audits for thousands of units of state and local government. The office is up for grabs this year, as are all five of the statewide executive offices.

In Ohio’s U.S. Senate race, incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown has a double-digit lead in most polls over his Republican opponent, Congressman Jim Renacci (R-Wadsworth). Brown is vying for his third term in office in a campaign that has been bitter and personal at times. And Renacci is still working to convince voters to consider his campaign. Both candidates were asked for their views on some of the most pressing issues facing the nation and Ohio.

The midterm elections are November 6, and WYSO has been traveling around the Miami Valley talking to would-be voters. Today, we bring you voices from the University of Dayton campus, where WYSO community news producer Jason Reynolds surveyed students about whether they plan to vote next Tuesday.

For all of WYSO's elections coverage, visit wyso.org.

While the candidates for governor and US Senator are getting most of the spotlight in this year’s election, all 99 members of the Ohio House and 17 state senators are also on the ballot.  With a new governor in January, those state lawmakers will play important roles.  And some of those local races are getting close and creative.

Early voting is underway across Ohio for the Tuesday, November 6 elections. With the midterms approaching, WYSO producers have been talking to would-be voters around the Miami Valley. Today, we hear from some Daytonians in the city's Oregon District about what’s on their minds this election season.

Dayton woman: I’m horrified by the current administration. The immigration policy, I think, is terrifying. The ethics, the lack thereof, nepotism, a  lot of things are terrifying.

With the midterm elections just a few weeks away, WYSO producers have been out talking to would-be voters around the Miami Valley. We wanted to know how people are feeling about the elections, and how they plan to vote in November.

Today, we hear from some rural Ohioans recorded at a recent antique tractor and farm-equipment show at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia. That's where some people we spoke to expressed ambivalence about the country’s two-party political system.  

Greene County man: I don’t even know what the elections are for. 

A new poll by the University of Akron finds that Ohio voters are almost evenly split between Republicans and Democrats heading into this fall’s election.

The report by the University of Akron's Bliss Institute shows that 45 percent of 1,000 respondents want Democrats in control of the state, versus 47 percent who favor Republicans.

That's a change from most midterm elections, which are usually difficult for the sitting President's party, according to the Bliss Institute's Dave Cohen.

Early voting has been going for a week, and the number of registered voters is the highest it’s been in a decade. Many voters are opting to vote early through absentee ballot. That includes one major statewide official.