What to expect in Cincinnati on Election Day

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cincinnati’s mayor is seeking a second term in next week’s mayoral election against a challenger with prominent family ties.

Mayor Aftab Borval, a Democrat, will compete against Republican Corey Bowman in this Democratic stronghold on November 4. Bowman is a pastor, café owner, and half-brother of Vice President J.D. Vance.

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Pureval finished far ahead of Bowman in the May 6 primary with about 83% of the vote. Bowman finished a distant second with about 13% of the vote, enough to secure a spot on the ballot. The position of mayor of Cincinnati is a nonpartisan position, so all candidates competed on the same ballot in the primary, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the general election in November.

The elections are taking place in the third most populous city in the state of Ohio against the backdrop of an unprecedented level of federal intervention in major American cities by the Trump administration in the name of combating crime and illegal immigration, despite the objections of Democratic leaders in the cities. Crime was a major topic in the mayoral campaign in August after a downtown brawl was widely shared on social media.

Pureval was elected for the first time in 2021 with about 66% of the vote over fellow Democrat David Mann, a former mayor and US representative.

Democrats have long held a lopsided advantage in Cincinnati elections. Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris won the city in the 2024 presidential elections with about 75% of the votes, compared to about 22% for Republican Donald Trump.

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Trump received the highest votes in only one of the city’s 26 precincts. It held four of the city’s 190 boroughs, all located along the Ohio River on opposite sides of the city. Bowman carried two of these precincts in the May primary — in Sayler Park and California — the only places where he beat Burval.

Turnout tends to be relatively low in off-year Ohio elections. The most recent exception was in 2023, when a pair of ballot measures spurred voters on both sides of the abortion debate to head to the polls.

The Associated Press does not provide projections, and will declare a winner only when it is determined that no scenario exists that would allow the late nominees to close the gap. If the race is not called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or announcements of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet announced a winner and explain why.

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Votes in Ohio are automatically recounted if the margin is less than 0.25% of the total vote in statewide races or 0.5% in county races. The AP may declare a winner in a race eligible for a recount if it can determine that the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Here’s a look at what to expect on November 4.

When do the polls close?

Polls close at 7:30 PM ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The Associated Press will present the voting results and announce the winner in the Cincinnati mayoral race. Other local contests will also be held in Cincinnati and across the state on Nov. 4, but only the Cincinnati mayor’s race will be part of the AP’s voting schedule.

Who is entitled to vote?

Registered voters in the City of Cincinnati may participate in the general mayoral election.

What does turnout and advance voting look like?

There were more than 221,000 registered voters in Cincinnati as of the May 6 primary. Participation in the primary elections was about 10% of registered voters. About 17% of votes were cast before primary day.

In the 2021 municipal general election, turnout was approximately 24% of registered voters. A quarter of the votes were cast before Election Day.

As of Thursday, about 4,900 votes had been cast in Hamilton County before Election Day.

How long does it usually take to count votes?

In the May 6 primary, the Associated Press first reported the results of the mayoral race at 7:53 p.m. ET, or 23 minutes after polls closed. Tonight’s last update was at 10:24 PM ET with nearly 99% of the total votes counted.

In the 2024 presidential election, the first results reported by the AP in Hamilton County were available at 7:57 p.m. ET. The tabulation process was halted overnight at 11:54 PM ET after approximately 96% of the total votes had been counted.

Are we there yet?

As of November 4, there will be 364 days until the 2026 midterm elections and 1,099 days until the 2028 general election.

Find live voting results for 2025