WASHINGTON (AP) — Cincinnati’s mayor faces a primary challenge Tuesday from two first-time candidates, including the half brother of Vice President JD Vance. Meanwhile, voters across the state will decide the fate of a 10-year, $2.5 billion infrastructure spending ballot measure.
The notable contests top the list of races on the ballot in Ohio’s off-year municipal primaries.
In Cincinnati, the state’s third largest city, Mayor Aftab Pureval seeks a second term. Pureval, a Democrat, had been running unopposed for reelection in the Democratic stronghold until Republicans Cory Bowman and Brian Frank entered the race earlier in the year. Bowman, who shares a father with Vance, is an evangelical pastor and cafe owner. Frank is a procurement specialist. The mayor’s office is a nonpartisan position, so all candidates compete on the same ballot in the primary, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the November general election.
Cincinnati is located in Hamilton County, which Democrat Kamala Harris carried in the 2024 presidential election with about 57% of the vote. Republican Donald Trump received 42% of the Hamilton vote but won Ohio with 55% of the statewide vote. The city's Democratic bent should benefit Pureval in a primary contest with no other Democrats on the ballot.
Pureval placed first in the 2021 primary with 39% of the vote in a six-person field. He won the general election with about 66% of the vote over fellow Democrat David Mann, a former mayor and U.S. representative.
On the statewide ballot, the proposed constitutional amendment known as Issue 2 would authorize the state to issue bonds to finance local infrastructure initiatives dealing with roads, bridges, water systems, waste disposal and other projects. Near-unanimous bipartisan majorities in the state Senate and House voted in December to put the measure before voters in Tuesday’s special election, although one Republican state senator and four Republican state representatives opposed the measure.
If it passes, Issue 2 would continue a funding program that was first enacted in 1987 with support from about 71% of voters. It was renewed in 1995 with about 62% in favor, then again in 2005 with 54% and most recently in 2014 with 65%.
Turnout tends to be relatively low in off-year Ohio elections. A recent exception was in 2023, when a pair of ballot measures motivated voters on both sides of the abortion debate to head to the polls. This year’s infrastructure bond proposal has a much lower profile than the two 2023 measures.
Another complicating factor comes from an unlikely source — the state’s two National Football League franchises. Tuesday’s infrastructure bond vote has nothing to do with the ongoing debate among state and local officials over stadium funding for the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals. But voters unfamiliar with the details of Issue 2 could potentially conflate the two matters at the ballot box.
The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
Recounts in Ohio are automatic if the margin is less than 0.25% of the total vote in statewide races or 0.5% in district races. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
Here’s a look at what to expect on Tuesday:
Election day
Ohio’s primary and special election will be held Tuesday. Polls close at 7:30 p.m. ET.
What’s on the ballot?
The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare a winner in the Cincinnati mayoral primary and the proposed constitutional amendment known as Issue 2. The ballot measure is the only statewide contest on the ballot. Primaries for local offices will be held across the state, but the AP will not be providing vote coverage.
Who gets to vote?
Any voter registered in Ohio may participate in the statewide ballot measure special election.
What do turnout and advance vote look like?
As of April 16, there were about 8.2 million registered voters in Ohio. Voters in Ohio do not register by party.
About 3.1 million votes were cast in the statewide ballot measure special election in August 2023. That was about 39% of registered voters at the time. Roughly a quarter of the votes were cast before Election Day.
More than 42,000 ballots were cast in the 2021 Cincinnati mayoral primary, roughly 16% of registered voters at the time. Pre-Election Day voting made up about 19% of the total vote.
As of Thursday, nearly 122,000 ballots had been cast statewide before Election Day. More than 2,200 ballots had already been cast in Hamilton County.
How long does vote-counting usually take?
In the 2024 general election in Ohio, the AP first reported results at 7:36 p.m. ET, or six minutes after polls closed. The election night tabulation ended at 2:49 a.m. ET with about 98% of total votes counted.
Votes in Hamilton County were first reported at 7:57 p.m. ET. The final election night update was at 11:54 p.m. ET with about 96% of total votes counted.
Robert Yoon, The Associated Press
