Ohio voters will consider nearly 300 candidates for 216 judicial seats throughout the state this election.

Ohio voters will consider nearly 300 candidates for 216 judicial seats throughout the state this election.

When early voting begins in Ohio next week, voters will consider nearly 300 candidates for 216 judicial seats throughout the state, including two seats on the Ohio Supreme Court.

Ohio voters also will elect judges to the 12 districts of the Ohio Court of Appeals and the county courts of common pleas. In addition, voters in Mahoning and Vinton counties will elect judges to their county courts.

Among the highlights of this year’s judicial elections are:

• Ohio Supreme Court – two seats, both contested
• Hamilton County – 13 judicial seats, including one on the 1st District Court of Appeals; all races contested
• Franklin County – 10 judicial seats, including two on the 10th District Court of Appeals; all races contested
• Cuyahoga County – 19 judicial seats, including five on the 8th District Court of Appeals; six seats contested.

Judges in Ohio serve six-year terms. Terms are staggered and Supreme Court, district appellate court, common pleas, and county court elections are conducted in even-numbered years, such as this year. Municipal court judgeships are up for election in odd-numbered years.

Ohio voters can use Judicial Votes Count, the state’s only nonpartisan, statewide judicial election resource, to learn more about judge candidates before casting their ballots in the general election.

Judicial Votes Count can be found at JudicialVotesCount.org or blogs.uakron.edu/judicialvotescount.

At Judicial Votes Count, voters can find profiles of judicial candidates, including their experience on the bench and why they are running for judge. Other resources on the website include videos about the different types of courts in Ohio and the important role that judges play in their communities.

Participation in Judicial Votes Count is voluntary and, to date, more than 150 candidates have submitted their information.

Judicial Votes Count is a nonpartisan partnership launched in 2015, to better educate Ohioans about judges and the Ohio court system.

The project’s partners are Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor; the League of Women Voters of Ohio; the Ray C. Bliss Institute at the University of Akron; the Ohio State Bar Association; the Ohio News Media Association; and the Ohio Association of Broadcasters.