Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights and Marble Cliff voters can cast early ballots in the Ohio 3rd Congressional District race starting Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Democrat Joyce Beatty, who has represented the district since 2013, is running for a eighth term. Republican business owner Cleophus Dulaney is challenging her. The district falls entirely within Franklin County, according to WBNS/10TV, and covers all three communities along with most of the city of Columbus.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The incumbent
Beatty, 76, served in the Ohio House of Representatives and as a senior vice president at The Ohio State University before winning her congressional seat. She sits on the House Committee on Financial Services, where she is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions.
On her campaign website, Beatty lists expanding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), strengthening Social Security and Medicare, reducing college costs, supporting livable wages and equal pay, and pursuing restorative justice for non-violent offenders as priorities. She submitted two fiscal year 2027 funding requests totaling $1.29 million for Central Ohio behavioral health and primary care services for fiscal year 2027, according to her congressional office. She also joined the groundbreaking of Opportunity Pointe, a $51 million development bringing 166 affordable homes to the Columbus State campus.
Beatty won the May 2026 Democratic primary with about 79% of the vote over challenger Joe Gerard, according to Franklin County election results.
The challenger
Dulaney describes himself as a "long-time community servant." He also ran in 2020.
He ran unopposed in the May Republican primary with 15,779 votes. Dulaney says he entered the race because there is "not enough loyalty to the people who actually live and work" in central Ohio. He identifies cost of living, small business support and "protecting our democracy" as top issues.
His campaign website also lists gentrification, affordable housing shortages, improving law enforcement relations, addressing homelessness and the opioid crisis, property tax relief and home improvement grants as priorities.
How to vote
Early in-person voting runs through Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Franklin County Board of Elections, 1700 Morse Road, Columbus. Hours for the first two weeks are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, according to the county elections board.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Tuesday, Oct. 27. Absentee ballots must arrive by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
Election Day polls open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to a WBNS/10TV voter guide. The Nov. 3 ballot also includes the governor's race, a U.S. Senate contest and Issue 3, a proposed constitutional amendment requiring photo ID to vote.
