1. Why there is a special election
Unlike a Statehouse seat, a partisan appointment cannot be made to fill a congressional seat. So when John Boehner resigned in October 2015, a special primary and election were set to fill that unexpired term.
2. Who the election impacts
Residents in Butler, Clark, Darke, Miami and Preble counties as well as the southern portion of Mercer County are represented by Ohio’s 8th Congressional District.
The district includes more than 723,000 residents and stretches from the shores of Grand Lake St. Mary’s on the northern edge of Interstate 270 to just north of the Interstate 275 loop.
3. When and where to vote
Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. today. Registered voters must cast ballots at their assigned precincts.
For more information, visit MyOhioVote.com.
4. Low voter turnout
Only a fraction of the residents of the 8th Congressional District will vote today.
During the past three years, 108 elections were decided by one vote or were tied, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.
The district is highly Republican, but Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted told this news outlet last week, "You can't assume anything when you have low voter turnout. When you have low voter turnout, your vote is more important. You have a bigger impact."
5. It’s not over after today
While this special election will decide who will succeed Boehner in Congress by filling his unexpired term, there is still the matter of electing a congressman in November for the full two-year term.
Davidson and Foister will be on that ballot. Condit Jr., however, is ineligible after he voted in the Republican primary, not Green, in March.
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