Election Night in Ohio: What's Called and What's Still Out
Editorial illustration — Press Pass USA10:30 p.m. ET cut. Three hours after Ohio's polls closed, the state's election night had one clear decision and two big races still open: the Associated Press (AP) has called Issue 3 approved, locking the state's photo-ID voting requirement into the Ohio Constitution, along with eight U.S. House districts. But the governor's race and the U.S. Senate race remained uncalled by the AP, with Democrats ahead in partial counts. Election-night results are unofficial until certified.
Governor: Acton ahead, uncalled. With 79.6% of precincts reporting (7,032 of 8,834), Democrat Amy Acton held 1,896,624 votes (52.1%) to Republican Vivek Ramaswamy's 1,741,227 (47.9%), according to the AP count, which listed the race as “too early to call.” The Columbus Dispatch reported a similar Acton lead at 10 p.m. with 72% of votes counted. Nobody has won this race until the AP calls it.
U.S. Senate: Brown narrowly ahead, also uncalled. In the special election for the seat left vacant by J.D. Vance, Democrat Sherrod Brown held 1,814,631 votes (48.2%) to Republican Jon Husted's 1,768,459 (47.0%), with 79.5% of precincts reporting, according to the AP. Libertarian William Redpath stood at 2.8% and independent Greg Levy at 2.0%. The AP had not called this race either. The New York Times rated Brown “very likely” to win given votes still outstanding in Democratic areas, as reported by The Cincinnati Enquirer — but that is the Times' analysis, not an AP call.
What's decided in Ohio: Issue 3 passed. The AP called Issue 3 before 10 p.m.: with 78.8% of precincts in, “yes” held 2,441,504 votes (66.0%) to 1,257,161 for “no” (34.0%). Practically, nothing changes tomorrow: Ohio has required photo ID at the polls since 2023. What changes is the lock: any future attempt to alter the rule will now need voters' approval, not just the legislature's.
U.S. House: 8 of 15 Ohio districts called by the AP. Republicans held the 2nd (David Taylor), 4th (Jim Jordan), 5th (Bob Latta), 6th (Michael Rulli), 12th (Troy Balderson) and 14th (David Joyce); Democrats held the 3rd (Joyce Beatty) and 13th (Emilia Sykes). Still uncalled were the 1st, where Democrat Greg Landsman led the AP's partial count, and the 15th, where Democrat Don Leonard led Republican Mike Carey. Also still open: the 7th (Democrat Brian Poindexter ahead of Republican Max Miller), the 9th (Republican Derek Merrin ahead of Democrat Marcy Kaptur), the 10th (Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker ahead of Republican Mike Turner) and the 8th (Republican Warren Davidson ahead), according to partial Secretary of State counts carried by local press. None of those leads is an AP call.
The rest of the statewide ballot, still counting. No AP call had been published in the sources checked at cut time for the statewide executive offices — attorney general, auditor, secretary of state and treasurer — or for the two Ohio Supreme Court seats. Partial counts carried by The Columbus Dispatch at 9:35 p.m. showed Republican Keith Faber ahead for attorney general, Republican Frank LaRose pulling ahead for auditor and Republican Jay Edwards leading for treasurer; those are partial leads, not declared winners. The secretary of state's race was also still uncalled by the AP.
The national picture, in one line: the AP has not called control of either chamber. As of 10:01 p.m. ET, the AP-based tracker counted 171 of 435 House races called (108 Democrats, 63 Republicans) and 16 of 35 Senate races. NBC News and CNBC had already projected a Democratic House majority — about 244 seats by NBC's estimate — but those are the networks' projections, not an AP call. Among the AP's calls of the night: Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Georgia governor's race, Republican Byron Donalds won Florida's, and in the Senate the AP called Mark Warner in Virginia, Roy Cooper in North Carolina and Chris Pappas in New Hampshire. Senate control remains open: Republicans entered the night at 53-47, Democrats need 51 for a majority, and Republicans keep control with 50 thanks to the vice president's tie-breaking vote.
What remains. Ohio no longer has a grace period for mail ballots: any ballot that had not reached its county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. does not count. What is left is finishing the precinct count and official certification. If the two big races stay uncalled, the outcome may arrive overnight or later; this story will be updated only with AP calls.
Sources: Associated Press, 2026 election results (Ohio governor: “Too Early to Call,” 79.6% of precincts, Acton 1,896,624 / Ramaswamy 1,741,227; Ohio Senate: “Too Early to Call,” 79.5% of precincts, Brown 1,814,631 / Husted 1,768,459 / Redpath 106,203 / Levy 74,391; Issue 3: “Called,” 78.8% of precincts, Yes 2,441,504 / No 1,257,161; House Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 13 and 14 called; Districts 1 and 15 uncalled; secretary of state uncalled); The Columbus Dispatch, Election Day live coverage, November 3, 2026 (Issue 3 called by AP and CNN; 9:35 p.m. partials for attorney general, auditor and treasurer); The Cincinnati Enquirer, live coverage, November 3, 2026 (10 p.m. partials and The New York Times' analysis of Brown); Signal Ohio, “Ohio Issue 3 passes” (AP called Issue 3 before 10 p.m.); Scioto Valley Guardian, partial Secretary of State counts for Districts 1, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 15; AP-based national tracker, 10:01 p.m. ET (House 171/435; Senate 16/35) and NBC News/CNBC House projections, flagged as non-AP. Percentages calculated from AP vote counts.
Sponsored