Of 1,070 regular elections in Ohio—770 (72%) are uncontested. An uncontested election is one where the number of candidates on the ballot is less than or equal to the number of seats up for election. 

Of the 26 states where Ballotpedia is covering every election on Nov. 5, Ohio has the sixth highest rate of uncontested elections. 

There are at least 13 office types up for election in Ohio this year. 

District attorney has the highest rate of uncontested elections at 100%. That rate for district attorney mirrors three other states: Hawaii, Montana, and North Carolina. Conversely, two states—Arizona and California—are the only states with a 100% contested election rate for the office of district attorney. Elections for the office of sheriff have the next highest uncontested rate at 91%, followed by attorney at 90%.

State supreme court justice has the highest rate of contested elections at 100%. The next highest contested office type in Ohio is U.S. senator and state senator at 94%, followed by U.S. representative and state representative at 89%.

Ohio has a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature. Among states with Republican trifectas, 64% of elections are uncontested and 36% are contested. Those rates for Democratic trifectas are 55% and 45%, respectively. In states with a divided government, 56% of elections are uncontested and 44% are contested. 

Through October 2024, Ballotpedia has covered 36,068 elections in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four territories in 2024 alone. Of that total, 27,164 (75%) were uncontested and 8,904 (25%) were contested. To learn more about this analysis, click here!