Columbus, Ohio

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton toured the Youngstown Business Incubator and rallied in Liberty, stressing ties to Mahoning and Trumbull counties ahead of Election Day against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Acton has repeatedly addressed a Ramaswamy-backed ad featuring her estranged mother, calling her a liar and alleging mental health issues; Gov. Mike DeWine called it exploitative. Both candidates are closing with pitches on Ohio's affordability crisis, with Ramaswamy touting his business background and property-tax executive orders, and Acton emphasizing public-service experience, a working families tax cut, and school funding.

Ramaswamy has self-funded and outspent Acton nearly $80 million to $34 million overall, though Acton has outraised him recently; both have shattered Ohio's gubernatorial fundraising record, and neither has held elected office before. Democrats are banking on a late push, including a Cleveland rally with Barack Obama and expanded early voting, as prediction markets show Acton favored heading into Election Day.

The Trump administration's May 2025 shutdown of the VA Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, which had let struggling veterans roll missed mortgage payments into a new loan at a low fixed rate, has left thousands facing sharply higher payments. An NPR investigation found more than 15,000 veterans who got loan modifications after VASP ended saw payments rise by at least $150 a month, with over 700 facing increases of $1,000 or more — far higher rates than for conventional Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. Industry groups had warned the VA against ending VASP without a replacement ready. A new Partial Claim Program launched over a year later, but it does not help veterans already stuck in costlier modified loans, and foreclosures on VA loans have since hit a 10-year high.

Ohio voters choose a new secretary of state on Nov. 3, with Republican state Treasurer Robert Sprague, Democratic state Rep. Allison Russo, and Libertarian Tom Pruss on the ballot. The race has turned on two election-policy flashpoints: a proposed constitutional amendment (Issue 3) locking in photo ID requirements, which Sprague backs and Russo and Pruss oppose, and absentee ballot drop boxes, which Sprague wants eliminated while Russo and Pruss favor expanding. Sprague, the best-funded candidate, emphasizes election security and points to fraud cases in other states; Russo argues Ohio's drop boxes are already secure and accuses Republicans of suppressing access. A planned debate between Sprague and Russo never materialized.

Broward County's Supervisor of Elections, Joe Scott, is urging voters to hand-deliver mail-in ballots after complaints of slow postal delivery, with some ballots taking nearly two weeks to arrive or failing to arrive at all; the U.S. Postal Service says it is investigating. Neighboring Miami-Dade County reported no similar delays. In Philadelphia, officials highlighted security at the city's Election Warehouse and urged roughly 40,000 voters still holding mail ballots to return them in person, noting postmarks do not count. In Ohio, heavy early voting turnout in Franklin County has strained absentee mail delivery, with some overseas ballots stalled in transit as the Election Day deadline nears.

Ahead of Ohio's U.S. Senate and governor races, prediction market activity has drawn scrutiny from political scientists and state lawmakers who argue betting on elections undermines public trust in democracy. Ohio State professor Nathaniel Swigger warns that large discrepancies between market-implied odds and public polling in the governor's race between Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy could fuel doubts about vote legitimacy if outcomes diverge from market expectations.

State Sen. Bill DeMora has introduced legislation to ban election wagering through prediction markets, noting most states already prohibit it. Kalshi, which bars politicians from trading and recently added transparency features, remains in a legal dispute with Ohio over state regulatory authority, while its advocacy arm defends prediction markets as more accurate than polling.

Ohio's 2026 general election reaches its final stretch, with in-person early voting available through Nov. 1 ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3. Voters must cast early ballots at their county board of elections office and bring approved photo ID. Absentee ballots must be mailed or returned by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, with a grace period for overseas and military voters.

The ballot headlines a governor's race between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton, plus a U.S. Senate contest pitting Republican incumbent Jon Husted against Democrat Sherrod Brown. Congressional, statewide, legislative, and local races are also on the ballot, with national control of the Senate and House at stake.

In Clearcreek Township, Ohio, artist Stan Herd carved a 1-acre earthwork into a Warren County hayfield depicting a farmer, a cow and a sign reading "Not for Sale to Data Centers." Commissioned by Data Center Payoffs, a group tracking industry political donations, the piece was unveiled at an Oct. 24 rally attended by Rep. Greg Landsman and built with help from neighbors across party lines.

Ohio has 257 data centers in development, the fifth-most nationally, with an estimated $40 billion in planned investment by 2030. Rural land use, water and energy demands have fueled backlash, and voters in 18 municipalities, including Trenton and Wilmington, will decide related zoning ballot measures in November.

Ohio officials have launched new measures to combat domestic violence after state data showed 70% of people arrested for the offense over 50 years were repeat offenders, with 134 domestic violence deaths recorded in the state between July 2025 and June 2026. The Ohio Department of Public Safety's Office of Criminal Justice Services approved $1 million in grants split among 55 shelters and created a program funding ballistic shields for responding officers. Working with the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, the state is also updating its decades-old law enforcement handbook and rolling out lethality-assessment training to help officers identify survivors at highest risk, with the first of seven sessions set for next month.