Columbus Voters Decide Two City Charter Amendments as Election Day Turnout Reaches 51.8%
On November 3, 2026, voters in Columbus, in Ohio's Franklin County, decided two city charter amendments that could change how the City Council is elected: one, placed on the ballot by citizen petition, would have only district residents vote for the nine district council seats, while the council-backed measure would add at-large seats elected citywide on top of district-only voting. Franklin County Board of Elections data showed countywide turnout at 51.8 percent as of 5:40 p.m., already above the 49 percent recorded for the full day in the 2022 midterms.
A Columbus-area U.S. House seat was also decided that night: Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty led Republican challenger Cleophus Dulaney by about 82.5 percent to 17.5 percent with roughly a third of the vote counted. CNN and NBC News called the race for Beatty 15 minutes after polls closed, and the Associated Press also declared Beatty the winner.
Polls across Ohio closed at 7:30 p.m., with statewide offices including governor and U.S. senator also on the ballot. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton voted that morning in the Columbus suburb of Bexley, while Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy voted in Columbus. Mayor Andrew Ginther voted at about 10 a.m. at a school polling place on Shattuck Avenue and urged residents to turn out, noting that early voting in Franklin County had set a midterm record.
Source: Associated Press
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：哥伦布市天际线全景（Tysto，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons）。 / Photo: The Columbus, Ohio, skyline panorama (Tysto, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons).
