Writ large, fewer candidates to choose from at the ballot box can mean voters have less ability to hold those in power accountable, experts say, and at worst can discourage people from exercising their right to vote.
Kettering Mayor Peggy Lehner, a former city council member, state representative and state senator, has run both contested races and unopposed races in her time. She’s not on the ballot this year, but only two of Kettering’s four city council wards have competition this year.
“I don’t remember having this many open seats, frankly,” she said.
The races for mayor of Centerville, Brookville and Springboro are uncontested Tuesday. The city council candidates in Miamisburg, Englewood and Oakwood are certain to be elected without opposition, as are the school board candidates in Vandalia-Butler, Mad River and Franklin.
Research by voter engagement platform BallotReady found that 67% of races nationwide went uncontested in 2022, a number that increased the more local the election was. While only 3% of federal-level races were uncontested, as many as 70% of city-level races did not have opposition, the organization found.
According to BallotReady’s report, more than half of Ohio’s elected positions went uncontested in November 2022. Almost every state in the country saw a majority of positions that appeared on the ballot go uncontested in 2022, and only five states were below 40%.
However, the problem isn’t necessarily a new phenomenon, said Daniel Birdsong, senior lecturer of political science at the University of Dayton, as there’s not as much attention given to local elections.
“We tend to not give them as much significance as voters,” Birdsong said. “And so that, I think, spills over to candidates not looking at these races as being important, even though they are very, very important for the governing of our state and region.”
The effect of uncontested elections is understudied, said Lee Hannah, professor of political science at Wright State. But there is evidence that uncontested elections lead to less accountability and poorer performance from lawmakers. A 2011 study in “Legislative Studies Quarterly” found that state legislators who ran in uncontested elections were more likely to miss roll-call votes and introduced fewer bills than candidates running in contested elections.
At worst, a lack of options and qualified candidates can be demoralizing for voters.
“Over time, I think uncontested elections could lead to lower voter turnout and less engagement in general. And if elected leaders don’t really feel accountable, they could be more likely to shirk on their duties,” Hannah said.
Reasons many people don’t run include the current divisive political climate, Hannah said, or a lack of involvement or engagement in local issues. A 2019 Bloomberg study found that the decline of local newspapers and information on local issues translated almost directly to less civic engagement among citizens.
Another reason is simply people don’t have the time or resources to campaign for office, especially if a newcomer is facing an uphill battle against a longtime incumbent. Lack of contested elections could signify that running against them is not only hopeless, but costly, Hannah said.
“If you’re going to run, you have to be interested enough. You have to have the time. You have to have the money. You have to have the support,” Birdsong said. “You have to build a lot of that, and if you don’t see it around you, or at least that infrastructure around you, then you’re disincentivized to run.”
The solution? Get more people to seek elected office. A silver lining to the lack of competition could mean newcomers to the political process have a unique opportunity to get involved, according to BallotReady.
Another solution is elected leaders themselves modernizing and making transparent a sometimes opaque civic process, Lehner said, adding the way most candidates campaign for office “leaves people pretty uninformed.”
“You’ll have candidates’ nights where five candidates and four staffers show up, and they’re given three minutes to tell you what they believe in, who they are and where they come from,” Lehner said. “That doesn’t really give people much of an opportunity to see what this person’s credentials are.”
Regardless, much of the significant work that governs the lives of Americans is happening at the state and local level, Birdsong said.
“My day-to-day life is heavily impacted by whether or not we have passable roads, we have order around our neighborhood, little things like that, but we don’t usually ascribe great significance to those things. We kind of take them for granted,” he said.
See below for a list of those nearly “automatically elected” candidates, from local county board of election documents.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Dayton Municipal Court Judges — Frank Gehres, Christopher Roberts, Deirdre Logan
Kettering Muncipal Court Judge — Jim Long
Miamisburg Municipal Court Judge — Alyse Rettich
Brookville Mayor — Chuck Letner
Centerville Mayor — Brooks Compton
Clayton City Council — Kenneth Henning (Ward 2), James Gorman (Ward 3)
Englewood City Council — Brad Daugherty, Steve Henne, Fred Huelsman
Germantown City Council — Bonnie Gunckel Koogle, Jeffrey Jones, Rick Reed
Huber Heights City Council — Scott Davidson (Ward 1), Don Webb (Ward 2)
Kettering City Council — Bob Scott (Ward 2), Shane Sullivan (Ward 3)
Miamisburg City Council — Steven Beachler, Ryan Colvin, Jeff Nestor
Moraine City Council — Randy Daugherty (Ward 1), David Miller (Ward 2), Shirley Whitt (Ward 3), Jeanette Marcus (Ward 4)
Oakwood City Council — Steven Byington, William Duncan, Healy Jackson
Riverside Mayor — Pete Williams
Riverside City Council — Andy Brown, Jesse Maxfield
Union Mayor — Mike O’Callaghan
Union City Council — Robert Bennett, John Bruns, Lynne Thomas-Roth
Vandaila Mayor — Richard Herbst
West Carrollton Mayor — Richard Barnhart
West Carrollton City Council — Angie Fryman, Jill Tomlin
Phillipsburg Village Council — Heather Craft, Hope Hoard
Butler Township Trustee — Missy Pruszynski
Butler Township Fiscal Officer — Greg Brush
Clay Township Trustee (unexpired term) — Duane Heuker
Clay Township Fiscal Officer — Mark Brownfield
German Township Trustee — Lou Potter Jr.
German Township Fiscal Officer — Mark Heistand
Harrison Township Trustee — Danielle Bradley
Harrison Township Fiscal Officer — Craig Jones
Jackson Township Trustee — Michael Moyer
Jackson Township Fiscal Officer — Elizabeth Kozarec
Perry Township Fiscal Officer — Charity Grill
Washington Township Fiscal Officer — Gary Smiga
Jefferson Twp. School Board (unexpired term) — Michelle Cooper
Mad River School Board — Julie Denning, Ruth Newhouse
Montgomery County ESC Board — Daryl Michael (unexpired term), Cinda Shell, Tomas Steck
Vandalia-Butler School Board — Mary Kilsheimer, Rodney Washburn
West Carrollton School Board — Lori Gibson, Keith Novesl
GREENE COUNTY
Fairborn Municipal Court Judge — Andrew Hunt
Xenia Municipal Court Judge — David McNamee
Bellbrook City Council — Logan Ashley, Ernie Havens, T.J. Hoke
Bellbrook Mayor — Michael Schweller
Bowersville Village Council — Michael Work (Only 1 valid candidate for 6 seats)
Cedarville Mayor — John Cody Jr.
Cedarville Village Council — James Combs II, David Brooks (only 2 valid candidates for 3 seats)
Clifton Mayor — Stephen McFarland
Clifton Village Council — Paula Lazorski (Only 1 valid candidate for 4 seats)
Clifton Village Clerk/Treasurer — Sue Chasnov
Jamestown Mayor — Joshua Bradley
Jamestown Village Council — Jonathan Smith (Only 1 valid candidate for 2 seats)
Spring Valley Mayor — Sue McLaughlin
Spring Valley Village Council — Lori Carrol, Austin Miller (Only 2 valid candidate for 3 seats)
Bath Township Fiscal Officer — Linda Keller
Beavercreek Township Trustee — Jessica Dean
Beavercreek Township Fiscal Officer — Alex Zaharieff
Caesarscreek Township Trustee — Keith Beam
Caesarscreek Township Fiscal Officer — James Randall
Cedarville Township Trustee — Jeff Ewry
Cedarville Township Fiscal Officer — Jennifer Orr
Jefferson Township Fiscal Officer — Linda Fliehman
Miami Township Trustee — Chris Mucher
New Jasper Township Fiscal Officer — Melissa Dodd
Ross Township Fiscal Officer — Gary Bogan
Silvercreek Township Trustee — Bob Frost
Silvercreek Township Fiscal Officer — Melissa Smith
Sugarcreek Township Trustee — Richard Demko
Sugarcreek Township Fiscal Officer — Carolyn Destefani
Xenia Township Trustee — L. Stephen Combs
Xenia Township Fiscal Officer — Jacqueline Robinson
Greene County ESC Board — Erik Eppers, Judy Lowstetter, Patricia Phipps
Greeneview School Board — Suzanne Arthur, Chris Bailey
MIAMI COUNTY
Miami County Municipal Court Judge — Samuel Huffman
Troy Mayor — Robin Oda
Troy Council President — William Rozell
Troy Council At-Large — Todd Severt, Lynne Snee, Susan Westfall
Troy Council Wards — Jeffrey Whidden (Ward 1), Kristie Marshall (Ward 2), Samuel Pierce (Ward 3), Bobby Phillips (Ward 4), William Twiss (Ward 5), Jeffrey Schilling (Ward 6)
Troy City Auditor — John Frigge
Troy City Law Director — Grant Kerber
Piqua City Commission Ward 2 — Paul Simmons
Bradford Mayor — Don Stump
Bradford Village Council — Galen Balmert, Robert Daugherty
Covington Mayor — Lee Harmon
Covington Village Council — Jesse Reynolds (Only 1 valid candidate for 2 seats)
Fletcher Mayor — Jason Hutson
Fletcher Village Council — Debbie Sandlin (Only 1 valid candidate for 2 seats)
Pleasant Hill Mayor — Brenda Carroll
Pleasant Hill Council — Matt Gray, Teri Stivers
West Milton Mayor — Scott Hurst
West Milton Vice Mayor — Christopher Horn
West Milton Village Council — Robert Cox, Sarah Gregory (Only 2 valid candidates for 3 seats)
West Milton Village Council (unexpired term) — Donald Dohrman
Brown Township Trustee — John Beal
Brown Township Fiscal Officer — Rebecca Elifritz
Elizabeth Township Trustee — John Ryman (write-in)
Elizabeth Township Fiscal Officer — Mary Ann Mumford
Lostcreek Township Trustee — Darrell Davis
Lostcreek Township Fiscal Officer — Walter Pemberton
Monroe Township Trustee — Michael Flora (unexpired term), Gregory Siefring
Monroe Township Fiscal Officer — L. Anthony Becker
Newton Township Trustee — Gene Laughman
Newton Township Fiscal Officer — Stanley Fessler
Newberry Township Trustee — J. Jason Sargent
Newberry Township Fiscal Officer — Mary Beth Benedict
Springcreek Township Fiscal Officer — Lori Wirt
Staunton Township Trustee — Jeff Cron
Staunton Township Fiscal Officer — Sarah Fine
Union Township Trustee — Phil Mote
Union Township Fiscal Officer — Marjorie Coate
Washington Township Trustee — Thomas Lange
Washington Township Fiscal Officer — Mikel Rike Brown
Miami County ESC Board — Janel Hodges, Myrna Yoder
Bradford School Board — Holly Hill (unexpired term), Maria Brewer, Scott Swabb
Covington School Board — Michael Maniaci Jr., Kerry Murphy
Milton-Union School Board — Jessica Brumbaugh, Justin Cress (Only 2 valid candidates for 3 seats)
Newton School Board — Bridget Haines, Nathan Oburn
NORTHERN WARREN COUNTY
Carlisle City Council — Deborah Kemper, Christopher Stivers
Franklin City Council — Brent Centers, Deborah Fouts, William Hall, Paul Ruppert
Springboro Mayor — John Agenbroad
Springboro City Council — Stephen Harding, Rebecca Iverson
Corwin Mayor — Jess Cordery III
Corwin Village Council — Debra Femmer (Only 1 valid candidate for 2 seats)
Waynesville Mayor — Earl Isaacs
Waynesville Village Council — Zachary Gallagher, Connie Miller
Clearcreek Township Trustee — Jason Gabbard
Clearcreek Township Fiscal Officer — Russell Carolus Jr.
Franklin Township Fiscal Officer — Scot Fromeyer
Massie Township Fiscal Officer — Mary Anna Wilkie
Turtlecreek Township Fiscal Officer — Amanda Childers
Wayne Township Fiscal Officer — Scott Fitzsimmons
Carlisle School Board — Missie Miller, Kelly Milligan
Franklin School Board — Andrew Fleming, Lori Raleigh
Springboro School Board — Lisa Babb, Sarah Schleehauf
Warren County ESC Board — Chad Bridgman, Sally Williams
Franklin Municipal Court Judge — Ron Ruppert
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RACES WITH NO CANDIDATES
The following races have no valid candidates at all, according to county board of elections documents.
Procedures for filling these positions can vary by office, but in most cases, someone will be appointed.
Also, see above in the “uncontested races” section, there are some races that had, for example, only two valid candidate for four seats, meaning appointments to the excess vacancies are also likely there.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Farmersville Mayor (1 seat)
Farmersville Village Council (2 seats)
Phillipsburg Board of Public Affairs (2 seats)
GREENE COUNTY
Bowersville Mayor (1)
Spring Valley Village Clerk (1)
MIAMI COUNTY
Casstown Mayor (1)
Casstown Village Council (3)
Laura Mayor (1)
Laura Village Council (2)
Laura Village Board of Public Affairs (2)
Ludlow Falls Mayor (1)
Ludlow Falls Village Council (4)
Ludlow Falls Clerk/Treasurer (1)
Pleasant Hill Board of Public Affairs (2)
Potsdam Mayor (1)
Potsdam Village Council (2)
WARREN COUNTY
Corwin Village Clerk-Treasurer (1)
