Richland County election 2026: Local and state races, results and notes from our newsroom

The polls just closed. What now?

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose issued a statement tonight that explains what happens next:

(COLUMBUS) — As polls close across Ohio at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Secretary of State Frank LaRose reminds Ohioans that Election Night is just the beginning of a thorough, bipartisan process to verify election results.  “Ohioans can have confidence that our election process doesn’t end when the polls close,” said Secretary LaRose. “While we pride ourselves on delivering 100% of the unofficial result on Election Night, the work continues for our bipartisan election officials as they carefully review the results, account for every eligible ballot, and conduct additional checks before the election is officially certified. Speed and accuracy work hand in hand for the benefit of every Ohioan.”  Under Ohio law, each of the state’s 88 bipartisan county boards of elections follows a series of steps before results become official: 1. Election Night: Reporting Unofficial ResultsAfter polls close, county boards of elections tabulate ballots cast on Election Day and eligible absentee ballots, including early in-person votes and mail ballots. These unofficial results are reported to the Secretary of State’s office and made available to the public at LiveResults.OhioSoS.gov. The first results reported will be the absentee by mail and early, in-person ballots, followed by the Election Day precincts. 2. The Days After Election Day: Reviewing Outstanding BallotsCounty election officials review provisional ballots to determine voter eligibility. Voters who need to provide additional identification or correct certain absentee ballot deficiencies have four days after Election Day to do so. Eligible military and overseas absentee ballots received by mail within four days after Election Day are also included in the final count. 3. Official Canvass: Verifying and Certifying ResultsBetween five and 15 days after Election Day, county boards begin the official canvass, carefully reviewing election records, resolving discrepancies, and counting all remaining eligible ballots. Boards of elections must complete the official canvass and certify their results no later than 21 days after Election Day. County certifications will be reviewed by the Ohio Secretary of State’s office prior to the final statewide certification. Ohio law only allows the Ohio Secretary of State’s office to release results two times: once on Election Night and once following the Official Canvass. 4. Recounts: Reviewing Close RacesThe Secretary of State must order an automatic recount for any statewide election when the vote difference between votes cast for the declared winner and loser is less than one-fourth of one percent (0.25 percent) of the total votes cast in the race or issue. (Ohio Election Official Manual, CH. 11 P. 414) 5. Post-Election Audits: An Additional Layer of VerificationCounty boards conduct post-election audits that include hand-counting selected paper ballots and comparing those totals with the electronically tabulated results. These audits provide an additional independent check of election accuracy. Learn more about how Ohio conducts post-election audits here. “Ohio’s elections are built on bipartisan accountability, paper ballots, and multiple layers of verification,” added LaRose. “Election Night gives us the initial, unofficial results. The days and weeks that follow confirm that those results are accurate.”

15 minutes til the polls close. You ready?!

Most expensive election ever nearly over

Polls close in Richland County and around Ohio in an hour.

That will bring an end to the the most expensive political season in U.S. history, with total spending projected to reach nearly $12 billion, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit group that tracks campaign financing.

I think 25 percent of that $12 billion was in my mailbox in the last few months.

Happy to see it end. I hate dark money. Someone should fix that.

Hey there, Richland County! Thanks so much for trusting us with your election coverage. I'll be chiming in with updates on the Lexington and Madison school levies. Both districts have a property tax renewal on the ballot, meaning that taxes won't go up if the levies pass.

Lexington also has a 0.75 percent earned income tax on the ballot. This new tax would generate about $3.54 million in its first year of collection, according to estimates from Treasurer Jason Whitesel.

I remember the scramble of election night in The Post’s newsroom in Baker University Center at Ohio University on Nov. 5, 2024.

I wasn’t a part of it. I was a junior at the time, and the sports editor of one of the most prestigious collegiate, student-run newspapers in the country. The men’s basketball team had just had its first game of the 2024-25 season the night before – an 88-78 loss to James Madison – and I was in full-on sports beat writer mode.

I saw the buzz, photographers and reporters running in adn out to the polling location right up Court St. but was hardly there for more than moral support. I was watching the results purely as a voter who, at 20 years old, had just voted in a presidential election for the first time.

Two years later, almost to the day, my role has changed. I’m a news reporter, full-fledged, covering Shelby and North County at one of the fastest-growing for-profit news sites in the country. Just a bit ago, I had Carl show me where to find election results when polls close.

The coverage you’ll see tonight is my first foray into election coverage, but I’m looking forward to it.

Get out and vote, if you haven’t already, Richland!

38th Election Night

I’ve never enjoyed Election Night, as this is my 39th consecutive one spent in a newsroom until the wee hours of the morning, including my senior year at Ohio University. Katie Ellington Serrao asked me today which was the most memorable, I said probably 2016 because I was so surprised Donald Trump won the presidency.

How astute is my political analyis? 😉

I hope it’s gotten better than it was in 1980. I was a freshman at Ohio University and was assigned in a political science class to write a paper predicting the presidential election.

Republican Ronald Reagan, Democrat Jimmy Carter and independent John Anderson were in the race. I researched the race carefully. I studied the polls. I examined the Electoral College. I analyzed the political mood of the country.

And then I wrote a compelling, detailed paper that explained why Anderson would shock the world and win the election. Turned it in a couple of days before the election.

Reagan won by a landslide with 489 electoral votes. Carter, the incumbent, had 49 electoral votes. Anderson got zero electoral votes and received 6.6 percent of the popular vote.

I got an “A” on the paper. Professor said “Great analysis. Great research. Well written.” That speaks more about the classroom expectations than anything I actually accomplished.

I hope I have gotten better in the nearly five decades since.

Why are we doing gas price updates?

Gas prices have been cited as a significant election issue this cycle. Our final three gas price updates come from the three Kroger stores in Mansfield, on Ashland Road, on Park Avenue West, and on Lexington Avenue. Here are their prices posted on Election Day.

Did you vote yet, Richland County? There’s still time to make your voice heard. Polls close at 7:30 p.m.

Gas at Sheetz in Madison Twp.

Perhaps the area’s newest gas station, Sheetz on Ashland Road in Madison Township, checked in at $3.99 per gallon on Election Day.

Gas in Ontario

There were a handful of gas stations over the $4 barrier in the Mansfield area on Election Day. The Speedway in Ontario was one of them.

Highest gas price I found today

The Marathon station on Lexington Avenue was the highest gas price I ran across on Election Day in Mansfield. It was $4.39 for cash, $4.49 for credit card.

Gas Prices at Meijer

The Election Day gas prices at Meijer in Ontario are noted in the photo below.

Gas Prices at Sam’s Club

As with a number of area stations, one must be a member of Sam’s Club to fill up at the Ontario location. The price per gallon today, Election Day, was $3.85.

Lowest Gas Price I Found Today

Next up on the 10-stop gas station price comparison for Election Day is Valero on West Fourth Street just on the edge of the Mansfield-Ontario line. This was the lowest price I found today, and the station advertises it has the lowest gas prices in town.

Gas Prices

Gas prices have been a hot topic nationwide for nearly all of 2026. So, on Election Day, I decided to drive around the Mansfield-area to get a sampling of our local prices. I hit 10 gas stations. I started at Friendship on Park Avenue West. Here’s what I found:

Voting Booth

It was very quiet on Tuesday just before 1 p.m. at the voting precinct on the corner of Cook Road and Lexington Avenue. Two cars were in the north side parking lot.

Election Night Pizza matters

Voting matters. So does Election Night pizza in a newsroom.

I helped to cover my first election 46 years ago in southeast Ohio while still in college. I don’t remember who won or lost the race for county commissioner. Or any other race.

But I do remember we had great pizza. That tradition continues tonight. One of the biggest reasons I didn’t retire when I hit 65 in March is I just love Election Night pizza while waiting for the local Board of Elections to spit out results.

So, Matt Finfgeld and Jane Zimmermann at the Richland County Board of Elections, take your time tonight. I will be busy eating pizza. But don’t wait too long. When the pizza is gone, I wanna finish my work and go home. You’re officially on the clock!

All is quiet at the Richland County Board of Elections at noon on Election Day.

Richland County Board of Elections Director Matt Finfgeld said today at 1:15 p.m. that 12,350 voters had cast ballots on this Election Day since polls opened at 6:30 a.m.

Polls remain open until 7:30 p.m.

Finfgeld said Tuesday morning turnout today was “what I expected.”

“No lines that I have heard of. Everything is running smoothly,” Finfgeld told Richland Source.

On Monday, Finfgeld estimated that 65 to 70 percent of county voters would participate in the November election cycle. Nearly 20 percent cast ballots during the month-long early voting process.