Published October 13, 2026 at 4:00 AM EDT

Early voting is underway in Ohio ahead of this year's midterm elections. Voters will see important races for U.S. Senate and congressional seats that could change the balance of power in Congress. And they will decide on a history-making governor's race.

There is also a statewide issue on the ballot related to the state's voter ID law.

On Cincinnati Edition, what you need to know before you head to the polls.

Guest:

• Jen Miller, executive director, League of Women Voters of Ohio
• Brian Sleeth, director, Warren County Board of Elections

Beginning at noon, call or text 513-419-7100 or email talk@wvxu.org to have your voice heard on this topic. You can catch a recorded replay at 8 p.m.

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The air is filled with attacks. The rhetoric is divisive. The stakes are high, but inside the Board of Elections in Norwood, staffers keep their cool.

"There's a lot of noise, obviously regarding politics. Democrats and Republicans don't always work together. It's not the case here at the Board of Elections. Our politics stay outside. We focus on our common goal of free and fair elections," says Director Sherri Poland.

She is taking members of the media behind the scenes, where some of the 200 staff members are preparing ballots. In the back room, they're putting together packets that'll go out to polling places on election day.

Next, Poland demonstrates how they'll release the election results on a thumb drive. The results are not connected to the internet. They'll walk them down the hall to a different room to upload to the board's website. As we walk with her down the hall, she takes us to a locked door.

"No one person may enter this room alone. You have to have at least one Republican and one Democrat in order to gain access to the room. So I'll give you a demonstration. If I attempt to enter the room alone, I cannot gain access to the room. It takes a member of each political party to be able to gain access," she demonstrates.

Behind the doors is a vast warehouse. They're storing voting booths folded in suitcases, and the warehouse is filled with shelves. With the many precautions and safeguards Poland is outlining, I wonder if the Board of Elections gets a lot of questions from the public about voter security. What are the top concerns and misconceptions?

"Could the voting equipment be hacked? Is it connected to the internet? We do get questions for voting by mail as well. What we want voters to know is we do not automatically mail ballots, so voters have to request a vote by mail from us after the election," Poland says.

The Board will audit three contests by randomly selecting batches of ballots to be hand counted and then compared against the electronic count to ensure the machines are counting correctly. So, when it comes to a hand count and an electronic count, which is more accurate?

"We have heard from folks that push for counting by hand of all of the election results, right? Instead, and not use equipment at all. Electronic count is more accurate. Computers are more designed to count than humans are. Plus, it would take months to get the results from a hand count," she says.

But even with an accurate count and equipment secured from hacking, another concern creeps in. What about voter fraud? Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose says it's rare.

"Voter fraud occurs at a very small rate in Ohio, and that's something that we work to keep it rare, right? When we catch it, we actually prosecute it. We work with county prosecutors and with the state attorney general to refer wrongdoers so that they face justice," says LaRose.

Now we head into a small office for a glimpse into poll worker boot camp. Trainers are teaching other volunteers to become trainers, putting them through scenarios, learning any changes in election law, studying election maps, and practicing on those electronic voting machines where you feed your ballot.

Hamilton County Board of Elections has received 10s of 1000s of vote by mail requests, and while early voting is increasingly popular, Poland says the vast majority, 60 to 70 percent of people, vote in person on election day. Why is that?

"They like the tradition of going to their polling place in their community, seeing the same poll workers many times that they see election after election day. They just like that tradition," Poland says.

Whether your tradition is to mail it in, go early in person, or vote on election day. Sherry Poland's message is that the 1000s of election workers in Ohio are ensuring that this midterm is free, fair, and secure. For Cincinnati Edition, I'm Selena Reder.