MANSFIELD — It’s clear people need to pay attention when voting in the May 5 primary election.
The wording on language for a county-wide solar/wind power referendum and newly drawn U.S. congressional districts are among the things voters need to become acquainted with before casting ballots.
Let’s start with the citizen-driven question on wind/solar projects.
The four-member, bipartisan Richland County Board of Elections on Tuesday morning unanimously approved the language for an issue pushed by a local coalition of residents and organizations — the Richland County Citizens for Property Rights and Job Development.
The language, which was reviewed by the county prosecutor’s office, will now be sent to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office for final approval.
In 2025, the group circulated petitions and obtained enough voter signatures to put the issue on the ballot after the county Board of Commissioners on July 17 unanimously approved a ban on”economically significant wind farms, large wind farms and large solar facilities” in 11 of the county’s 18 townships.
These 11 townships are Bloominggrove, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Mifflin, Monroe, Perry, Plymouth, Sharon, Troy and Weller. Trustees in all of those townships asked commissioners for the restriction, which is one of the reasons commissioners cited in making the decision.
To make it as clear as possible:
— A “yes” vote on the referendum on May 6 is in support of the of the action taken by county commissioners.
— A “no” vote would end the restrictions imposed by commissioners.
(Below is the draft of the language approved by the Board of Elections on Tuesday.)
County Board of Elections Director Matt Finfgeld said voters will need to educate themselves on the issue.
“The only thing we’ll do is, like we handle every issue, we’ll have that full text up (on the elections board website) and we would refer voters, if they have a question, to go read that,” Finfgeld said.
“That’s all we can comment on the issue. So we will not be doing any public education on that,” he said. “We will handle it just like we would any issue.”
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At the time commissioners voted unanimously for the restrictions, Commissioner Tony Vero said commissioners felt the decision to prohibit projects in specific townships was a decision which should be left to trustees.
He said the action commissioners took does not prevent large wind or solar projects from coming to other areas of Richland County.
“If we go out and fill up these townships with amazing solar projects that bring clean energy, labor and we can do more, I am 100-percent willing to revisit and rescind a prohibition potentially,” he said at the time.
But Vero doubled down on making it clear commissioners’ position remained centered on the requests of individual townships.
“Again, I think we need to follow the wishes of our local townships,” he responded when asked why the legislation was necessary if no projects are currently on the table.
When the group organized a week after the commissioners’ vote, leaders said the ballot box was their only path forward.
“Our only recourse is Election Day,” said Brian McPeek, business manager for the IBEW 688 in Mansfield.
McPeek has been involved in the state permitting and approval process of solar factories around the state, including in Crawford, Wyandot, Morrow and Knox counties.
He said then that said major companies like Amazon or Intel want communities to have some source of clean energy and that such projects provide “living wages” for workers during construction.
“They’re (companies) forward-thinking,” McPeek said. “(If) we’re banning these projects (than) we’re banning development in Richland County. There’s no reason to do that now.”
In September, Finfgeld said the bipartisan local elections board unanimously validated 3,380 signatures — 60 more than were needed to put the issue on the ballot.
A total of 3,320 voter signatures were needed, representing 8 percent of county voters who participated in the most recent gubernatorial election.
Richland County divided between 2 Congressional districts
Richland County will be represented by two members of Congress in 2027, races for which begin in the May primary.
Part of the county will remain in the 4th District, now represented by Republican Jim Jordan from Champaign County. With the change in maps, part of the county falls into the 5th District, a seat now held by Republican Bob Latta from Wood County.
It’s not the first time Richland County has been divided in such a manner. From 2012 to 2022, the county was divided into the 7th and 12th districts. It has been in the 4th during the last two Congressional elections.
Why the change?
Ohio’s Redistricting Commission unanimously approved a new congressional map on Oct. 31, 2025, which will remain in effect until 2031.
The new map could potentially alter the dynamics in several races in next year’s elections and has national implications.
The new maps would take Ohio’s current 10-5 Republican-to-Democratic-split to a potential 12-3 divide, based on likely voter index, according to the Bricker Graydon law firm.
Ohio was already set to redraw its congressional districts, thanks to a judicial decision, before redistricting became a national political focus.
Under the current map, Ohio’s congressional delegation included 10 Republicans and 5 Democrats. Under Ohio’s redistricting process, adopting a map requires a bipartisan vote.
If the Redistricting Commission failed to adopt a map by Oct. 31, according to the Ohio Constitution, the state’s General Assembly could adopt a map by simple majority.
Many political observers expected Ohio Republicans, with supermajorities in both chambers, to adopt a 13-2 map. However, in part due to the threat of a possible referendum, Republicans and Democrats agreed on the new map.
Finfgeld and Deputy Director Jane Zimmermann cautioned board members the new maps may prove confusing to some voters. In some instances, residents on one side of a street may be in one district, while neighbors on the other side may be in another.
“We’re pretty chopped up here in Richland County,” Finfgeld said.
“In talking to the Secretary of State, the gentleman that helped us in IT he said us and Clark County had the hardest maps to work with in the whole state,” he said.
Residents can visit the Ohio Secretary of State’s website, click on “Congressional Districts” and select “2027 districts.” They can then enter their address to see which district they reside in.
The website is here: https://findmydistrict.ohiosos.gov
Finfgeld said some voters may be confused.
“It’s kind of like a keyhole in some of these areas where it comes down,” he said. “It’s nothing that we’re trying to hide.
“This is just some maps that we’re dealt with and that we had to implement.”
Election deadlines noted
Finfgeld and Zimmermann reminded board members the deadline for write-in candidates for the May primary is Feb. 23 at 4 p.m.
The voter registration deadline is April 6 and early voting begins April 7.
The Board of Elections on Tuesday also certified all candidates and issues for the primary ballot.
The only contested countywide race is for Richland County commissioner between incumbent Republican Cliff Mears and challenger David Morgenstern,
Voters in the Lexington Local School District and Madison Local School District will see income tax issues on the primary ballot. The Ontario Local School District is asking voters to approve a bond issue.