University of Dayton

Ahead of Nov. 3 elections, early voting has topped recent midterm totals in multiple states. In Ohio, nearly 1.5 million ballots were cast by Oct. 30 — about 907,000 in person and 580,000 by mail — exceeding 2018 and 2022 totals, with voters favoring in-person voting over mail ballots. In Missouri's St. Louis County, more than 130,000 people voted early, already surpassing the county's entire 2022 midterm early-voting turnout, aided by an expansion from seven to 200 polling sites. South Carolina has also seen record turnout for its gubernatorial election, with nearly 950,000 ballots cast statewide as of Oct. 24, the highest early total since the state introduced early voting in 2022.

Ohio's races include every statewide executive office plus U.S. Senate and House seats that could shift Washington's balance of power; unaffiliated voters lead turnout there, narrowly ahead of Democrats and Republicans. Missouri officials caution strong early turnout doesn't guarantee a higher overall total, noting 2024's election-day surge. Ohio's early in-person voting ends Nov. 1, with ballots due by 7:30 p.m. on Election Night; South Carolina's early voting period runs through Oct. 31.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a term-limited Republican leaving office in January, has drawn attention for positions that diverge from his party's mainstream, particularly on capital punishment and immigration. DeWine, a Catholic, has refused to sanction executions during his tenure and cites concerns about deterrence and protecting life "from pre-birth to natural death," though he has stopped short of commuting death row sentences outright. Ohio currently has 113 inmates on death row.

On immigration, DeWine has defended Springfield, Ohio's Haitian community — now numbering over 10,000 — against false claims amplified by President Trump and Vice President JD Vance during the 2024 campaign, including debunked allegations about pets being eaten. In an August New York Times op-ed, DeWine argued Haitian migrants have boosted the local economy and called on Trump to pursue immigration reform, even as the administration's removal of temporary protected status threatens mass deportations. Catholic officials say DeWine's stances align closely with church social teaching, even though he rarely invokes it explicitly in public statements.