Today Ohioans will head to the polls to vote on a range of local issues like races for mayor, city council, school board and levies of all kinds. The only impact today’s election will have on the General Assembly is Rep. Zack Milkovich’s run for Barberton clerk of courts. If he wins, someone will need to be appointed to the 35th House District to finish his term. You can see a couple of ads he’s been running here and here.

This is also the one year mark to the 2014 election, which will play an important role in determining the direction Ohio takes over the next few years. The gubernatorial race is obviously very important and will receive a lot of attention, along with the other statewide executive races, but half of the Senate and the entire House will be up for re-election as well. If you missed it, here is my article from Ohio Matters magazine outlining what to expect in the House. The filing deadline is fast approaching – February 5 – so I’ll be keeping a close eye on candidates as they continue to emerge.

I should also add that two Supreme Court races will also be on the ballot. Justices Sharon Kennedy and Judith French will be seeking full terms. French already has an opponent, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John P. O’Donnell, which should make things interesting since name recognition is always a challenge with court races and there is already an O’Donnell (Terrence O’Donnell) on the Supreme Court.

With no major ballot issues today and the focus on local races, it’s going to be quiet and turnout will be low. I can guarantee you that a year from now Election Day will be quite different.