LIVE UPDATES
Live coverage of Greater Cincinnati's November 2025 election
Get caught up on WVXU's coverage of the 2025 general election in Greater Cincinnati, where our reporters covered everything from the mayoral contest between Mayor Aftab Pureval and challenger Cory Bowman, to City Council and school board candidates in Cincinnati Public, Lakota, Forest Hills, and more.
This blog is coming to end
Well, gang, it's been fun, but this here live blog is shutting down as of this posting.
We covered a lot, so be sure to scroll through to make sure you didn't miss a thing.
Now, the real work begins, for the newly elected candidates and for us: will they live up to their campaign promises?
Charter amendments pass
Voters approved two Cincinnati charter amendments Tuesday — one related to public safety hiring, and one related to campaign finance reporting.
Voters approved Issue 2, on public safety hiring, with nearly 73% support.
Voters approved Issue 2, on campaign finance reporting, with nearly 80% support.
Cincinnati Public Schools Board results
Capping off a winning night for Democrats nationally and locally is the news that all four candidates endorsed by the Democratic Party have been elected to the Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education.
The three incumbents — current Board President Kareem Moffett, and Board members Brandon Craig and Jim Crosset — retained their seats. Kari Armbruster will join them as the newest member of the Board.
Voters also approved Issue 28, a 10-year renewal levy to fund operations and the Cincinnati Preschool Promise (CPP), which provides tuition assistance to preschool students.
Voters reject Lakota, Mt. Healthy school levies
Voters in the Lakota Local School District have rejected a $506 million bond issue and levy that would have funded a district-wide redesign. School leaders have considered the redesign for years in response to growing student population. Enrollment at Lakota has surpassed 17,000 students, making it one of the largest school systems in the state.
In Mt. Healthy, voters once again rejected the district's attempt to pass a levy to help with its rocky financial situation. The state declared a fiscal emergency in the school system in early 2024 after previous accounting errors led school leaders to spend more money than the district had. With a second levy failure, Mt. Healthy's administration says it will need to lay off more staff and shrink its arts and athletic programs to cut costs.
Pureval, Bowman strike collaborative note in speeches
Despite a contentious campaign centered on public safety, both Mayor Aftab Pureval and Republican challenger Cory Bowman made collaborative remarks after learning the results of Tuesday's mayoral election.
"I had the opportunity to chat with Cory Bowman," Pureval said Tuesday night. "He was very classy to call me. He conceded the race and I offered him an opportunity to work together to make Cincinnati even better."
Bowman said Pureval asked to meet with him after the election. He said he'd take the mayor up on that during his concession speech.
"I told him that I'd gladly accept that invitation," he said. "And I said that if you win in your next term, that means Cincinnati wins. I'm not going anywhere. Cincinnati is our home."
Bowman is the half-brother of Vice President J.D. Vance. He told supporters he'll be focusing on his church and community work after the election.
Democrats dominate
When the three newest members of the Forest Hills School Board are sworn in, the entire board will consist of members endorsed by the Democrats — a stark difference from just four years ago, when all but one member of the Forest Hills School Board had been endorsed by the Republican Party.
In another sweep, Democrats have once again held onto all nine Cincinnati City Council seats. All but one is an incumbent.
Meanwhile, on the national stage...
Zohran Mamdani has won New York City's mayoral race, in what 91Ƭ is calling an . In New Jersey, Rep. Mikie Sherrill has given Democrats their second big victory of the night by .
Aftab Pureval on his re-election
Mayor Aftab Pureval spoke to a crowd of supporters at a watch party Tuesday night.
He said Cory Bowman had called him to concede the race.
"We can accomplish anything when we do it together, and that is why this city's motto is 'Strength in Unity,' " Pureval said. "And with this election we've got four more years — four more years to achieve those dreams together."
Watch Cory Bowman's concession speech
"We want them [Cincinnati's mayor and Council] to win. Because — I've said this since the beginning of the campaign — we cannot copy and paste national politics when it comes to these city elections. We cannot divide ourselves more and more..."
Watch below:
Partial results for Cincinnati City Council race
The Democratic slate is holding all nine seats of Cincinnati City Council, with about 23% of precincts reporting:
1. Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney with 20,092 votes
2. Scotty Johnson with 18,784 votes
3. Meeka Owens with 17,253 votes
4. Anna Albi with 16,880 votes
5. Mark Jeffreys with 16,647 votes
6. Seth Walsh with 15,206 votes
7. Evan Nolan with 15,196 votes
8. Jeff Cramerding with 15,031
9. Ryan James with 14,807 votes
All but James are incumbents.
Republican Liz Keating is currently ranked 10th with 10,915 votes.
Independent Christopher Smitherman is ranked 11th with 7,621 votes.
You can see live updates on the .
Pureval cruises to an easy win over Bowman
Mayor Aftab Pureval won a second four-year term as Cincinnati’s mayor in what likely will be the most lop-sided election since the city began direct election of the mayor 24 years ago, Howard Wilkinson writes.
Pureval wins re-election
The Associated Press has .
Results are coming in...
...In other races across the nation at least. Virginia's race for governor has been , while the Democratic candidate in New Jersey's race, Mikie Sherrill, currently has a 60% lead over Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli.
on the races receiving national attention.
Polls are now closed
Polls across Greater Cincinnati are now closed, which means results should start flowing in. You can follow along with our coverage here, or monitor the Hamilton County Board of Election's .
Ever wonder how ballot issues get their numbers?
The director of the Hamilton County Board of Elections says that's a really good question about a process that is fairly complicated. Sherry Poland says there's a hierarchy, and state issues always come first.
But she also tells WVXU's Bill Rinehart how there's been a change in how those numbers are issued.
You can read all about that in this edition of our feature OKI Wanna Know.
Cincinnati isn't the only election night to watch
Sure, Cincinnati's got a lot on the ballot, but it's not the only place worth watching the returns on this election night.
Here are a few other races political wonks in particular are keeping their eyes on:
- A governor's race in blue
- Democratic voters say California's push in places like Indiana, Missouri, and North Carolina
- Disgraced former New York governor (and his version of the Democratic Party)
- How Virginia's election became about, well, ...
City Council is exclusively Democratic. Will that change today?
Two years ago — the last time Cincinnati voters elected a City Council — hardly anyone wanted to take on the Democratic majority in City Hall.
That may not be the case in 2025.
In 2023, all nine seats — eight of them held by Democrats — were up for election; and 10 candidates were on the ballot.
And the 10th was a Democrat, Anna Albi, who squeezed out the only non-Democrat on Council, Republican Liz Keating.
It was an unmistakable sign of the power of that Democratic slate card — a printed list of endorsed Democratic candidates — that ended up in the mailboxes of thousands of Democrats and independents in the city and was passed out at the polling places in precincts where Democratic voters were plentiful.
The power of the slate card carried the day.
Will it do so again this year?
WVXU Senior Political Analyst Howard Wilkinson dives in.
Explaining Issues 2 and 3 on the Cincinnati ballot
Cincinnati voters will see two charter amendments on the ballot this year — one related to public safety hiring, and one related to campaign finance reporting.
Here's an explanation of Issue 2 and Issue 3.
'Let's address the elephant in the room...'
...And that elephant is current Mayor Aftab Pureval's Republican challenger, Cory Bowman, is the half-brother of Vice President J.D. Vance.
WVXU Government Reporter Becca Costello takes a look at Cincinnati's race for mayor .
Are Mt. Healthy Schools, well, healthy?
On Election Day, WVXU Education Reporter Zack Carreon takes a look at how the Mt. Healthy school district has evolved over the years — and what that means for voters at the polls .
If you're a Mt. Healthy voter, be sure to check out the new faces and tax levy on the ballot in your school district.
Polls are open!
Polls open in Ohio at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. today, Nov. 4.
Polling locations vary depending on where you live, and it might not be the closest polling location to you. Find your official polling location on the .
Do I need an ID?
Yes. Ohio requires voters to bring an acceptable form of identification to the polls to vote. Acceptable forms of ID must include an expiration date that has not passed, a photo of the voter and the voter’s name, which must substantially conform to the voter’s name as it appears in the poll list or in the poll book.
Several types of acceptable ID include:
- Ohio driver's license;
- State of Ohio ID card;
- Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV;
- A U.S. passport;
- A U.S. passport card;
- U.S. military ID card;
- Ohio National Guard ID card; or
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
If you do not bring an acceptable form of ID or if your eligibility is in question, you can still vote using a .
Voting provisionally means election officials need to double-check your eligibility. To do so, you must visit your county's board of elections within four days after Election Day to provide identification so your vote can be counted in the final election totals.
Election officials are also required to attempt to contact voters by mail, phone or email to resolve any issues with their ballots.
You ready?
Do you have everything you need to head to the polls?
Whether you like to prepare the night before or right before you head out the door, make sure you are up to speed on everything you'll need to vote, including the time polls open and close, as well as whether or not you need ID.
It's all here, including links to find your polling place and confirm you are registered.
And if you haven't yet, don't forget to check out our voter guide!
What's at stake in FHSD school board candidate election
, WVXU’s Education Reporter Zack Carreon breaks down Forest Hills' school board election — will voters go all blue or seek a mix of voices to bring more balance to the board?
Educate yourself on candidates for school board
Various school boards have candidates on the ballot this year, with some familiar faces, and other entirely new.
Get to know the candidates in the following districts:
Check out more from our voter guide here.
The issues likely on voters' minds this election
There's no denying Cincinnati is a Democratic city.
But in this year’s City Council race, there are some wedge issues that could give the candidates of the Charter Committee, the Republican Party and those running without a party endorsement a chance to break through the Democrats’ dominance. Even one or two seats not won by a Democrat in the Nov. 4 election would cause a huge spike on the Richter Scale of Cincinnati politics.
In July, WVXU Senior Political Analyst Howard Wilkinson wrote about the defining issues in this year's local election, including Council's controversial decisions on Connected Communities and the Hyde Park Square development.
Early voting report
Nearly 29,000 Hamilton County residents have already voted, either casting an in-person ballot during the early vote period, or returning an absentee ballot.
That's less than half the early vote total in the 2023 general election, but is slightly higher than 2021.
Within the city of Cincinnati, 1,768 absentee ballots have not been returned as of Sunday evening. Ballots submitted via mail can still be counted as long as they are post-marked Nov. 3 or earlier.
Is Kevin Farmer still in Cincinnati's City Council race?
Cincinnati City Council candidate Kevin Farmer plans to drop out of the race, .
WVXU has reached out to Farmer but has not been able to independently confirm the report.
Farmer was arrested early Saturday morning and is being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center on a combined $60,000 bond. He is charged with burglary and violating a protection order. A court date is set for Nov. 12.
This is the latest in a series of legal incidents involving Farmer over the past few months. In July, he was charged with domestic violence and assault for allegedly punching and choking a woman; the charges were later dropped because the woman did not appear in court. In September, the same woman was arrested for allegedly pointing a gun at Farmer; the prosecutor's office confirmed police did not find a firearm after searching her house.
Farmer has not officially notified the Board of Elections he is withdrawing from the race. It is too late to re-print ballots without his name, but BOE Director Shery Poland says a candidate could still withdraw.
A candidate must submit notice in writing with a “wet” signature, meaning an original signature (not a scanned or faxed copy). If notice of withdrawal is submitted after ballots have been printed, the BOE is required to post a notice in polling booths informing voters of each candidate that has withdrawn, and explaining that votes for that candidate will not be counted.
Farmer is a Republican, although he was not endorsed by the Hamilton County Republican party. He is one of 26 candidates on the ballot for nine seats on City Council. There is also a certified write-in candidate for the race.
Read more:
Where 2025 Cincinnati Council candidates stand on the issues
All 27 candidates for Cincinnati City Council responded to a WVXU survey asking their policy opinions on several key issues.
As always, it's officially a nonpartisan election and voters won't see party identifications for the candidates on the ballot. All three of Cincinnati's political parties — Democratic, Republican, and the Charter Committee — have endorsed slates of candidates.
All nine seats are on the ballot, and all seats are at-large — meaning each Cincinnati voter can vote for up to nine candidates, and the top nine vote-getters will win a seat. Twenty-six candidates will appear on the ballot; in addition, there is one certified write-in candidate.
Get to know every single one of them here.
Your must-read before heading to the polls
Our voter guide to the 2025 general election in Greater Cincinnati is packed with everything you need to know before casting your vote. Inside you'll find:
- Information on the candidates for mayor
- Answers to questions posed to all 27 candidates for Cincinnati City Council
- An explainer for Issues 2 and 3 on the ballot
...and much, much more.