Contributors: Rachel Jamison, Deb Wang, and Aaron Yeager.
Early voting has already begun for this year’s 2026 Democratic Party primary election, and most candidates are running uncontested within the party. Read below to find our recommendations.
Table of Contents
1. Important dates for voting
2. Sample ballot for Stow/Munroe Falls, Ohio
3. Details on candidates in contested races
Important dates for voting
THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY ELECTION IS TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2026.
Polls open at 6:30 a.m., and close at 7:30 p.m. You can find your polling location by looking up your name on the Board of Elections website.
Other important dates are below. Please note that Ohio lawmakers have eliminated the four-day grace period for mail-in ballots not cast by military service members or overseas citizens.
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 3/20-5/4 | Military and overseas absentee voting |
| 4/6 | Deadline to register to vote in the 2026 Primary Election. |
| 4/28 | Absentee ballot applications must be received by Summit County Board of Elections by 8:30 PM. |
| 4/7-5/3 | Early in-person voting at the Summit County Board of Elections. Follow the above link for special evening and weekend hours. Please note that Summit County BoE address has changed to 1050 E Tallmadge Ave, Akron, OH 44310. |
| 4/7-5/4 | Absentee voting by mail. |
| 5/5 | Final deadline for ALL domestic civilian absentee ballots is Election Day, May 5, at 7:30 PM. This applies to both hand-delivered and mail-in ballots. Absentee ballots must be returned to the Board of Elections, not polling stations. |
| 5/9 | Military and overseas must be received, by mail, by the Board of Elections by May 9. |
Refer also to the official voting calendar and the Elections FAQ published by the Ohio Secretary of State.
Sample ballot for Stow/Munroe Falls, Ohio
Below is a sample ballot for Stow/Munroe Falls, Ohio, with our voting recommendations. If you live somewhere else in Summit County, you can find your sample ballot by looking up your name on the Board of Elections website.
Stow Collaboration for Change makes recommendations in primary elections. These are not endorsements, which we reserve for general elections.
In an uncontested primary race, a recommendation means that a candidate’s stated platform—taken at face value—meets a minimum standard of not conflicting with our values. In a contested primary race, we recommend the candidate who seems more aligned with our values. A recommendation does not translate to an endorsement in the general election.
Details on candidates in contested races
Read about our recommendations for candidates in contested primary races, below.
An * next to the candidate’s name indicates this is a contested race.
Table of Contents
Summit County Candidates
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas (General Division)
Tania Nemer
Tania Nemer is running unopposed in the primary election.
L. Mialon Morris*
L. Mialon Morris is running against Kelly L. McLaughlin in the Democratic primary.
Morris, a private attorney practicing law in the areas of criminal, family, probate, and eviction law for the last 8 years, has maintained contracts with the Ohio Domestic Violence Network and the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, assisting numerous survivors and their children in pursuing justice within the legal system. She’s volunteered as an Attorney for Community Legal Aid since 2019, earning the Volunteer Attorney of the Year award in 2021. Morris is the Defense Attorney for the Turning Point Program (TPP), which specializes in assisting defendant’s gain sobriety and be the best version of themselves.
Morris’ experience and perspective goes beyond her professional career, giving her a unique understanding of those she serves – she was born and raised in Akron, “in a home shaped by hardship – domestic violence, substance abuse and sells, instability, and loss of hope” and has “been the defendant, the addict, the victim, and the debtor” and personally knows “what it feels like to need a second chance and the value of accountability when it leads to growth and better choices.”
Morris believes true justice includes addressing root causes of crime and commits to advocating for alternatives that foster rehabilitation and healing, noting “equity is essential, for justice that is blind to circumstance can be unjust in practice.”
Job Esau Perry
Job Esau Perry is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
Mary Margaret Rowlands
Mary Margaret Rowlands is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
John Galonski
John Galonski is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
Joy Malek Oldfield
Joy Malek Oldfield is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Juvenile Division)
Amy Corrigall Jones
Amy Corrigall Jones is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Domestic Relations Division)
Lisa Dean
Lisa Dean is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
For Judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Probate Division)
Steve Elliott
Steve Elliott is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
Member of County Council At Large
Erin Dickinson
Erin Dickinson is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
John A. Donofrio
John A. Donofrio is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
Elizabeth Walters
Elizabeth Walters is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
State of Ohio Candidates
Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Amy Acton and David Pepper
Amy Acton and David Pepper are running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
Attorney General
John J. Kulewicz*
John J. Kulewicz is running against Elliot Forhan in the Democratic primary.
Kulewicz, who grew up in Columbus, has practiced law for over 40 years and has served on the Upper Arlington City Council since 2020. He has visited all 88 counties in Ohio, receiving feedback from Ohioans about what they want to see in the state.
Kulewicz has expressed his commitment to taking on corrupt politicians and price-fixing monopolies and rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse. He’s earned the endorsement Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio and a number of major labor unions.
It is worth noting that in November, House leadership stripped Kulewicz’s opponent, Elliot Forhan, of nearly all his privileges due to allegations of “abusive” and “violent” behavior and a “pattern of harassment, hostility, and intimidation of colleagues and staff.” A protection order was filed against him by fellow lawmaker Juanita Brent after numerous incidents of harassment, including several videos made about her and showing up at her home in June. Brent also filed a police report after Forhan allegedly came to her house after the restraining order was filed. The related investigation into Forhan brought a number of additional incidents to light as well.
Auditor of State
Annette Blackwell
Annette Blackwell is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
Secretary of State
Bryan Hambley*
Bryan Hambley is facing off against Allison Russo in the Democratic primary.
Hambley has previously organized communities around key issues, like fighting against the influence of pharmaceutical companies in hospitals, ensuring underserved communities have access to critical healthcare, and standing up for the right to vote.
As a cancer doctor, Hambley has seen firsthand how healthcare costs are bankrupting families, insurance denials are delaying urgent care, and rural hospitals and nursing homes are closing and leaving communities without quality care.When Ohio’s Secretary of State used misleading ballot language in 2024 to confuse voters and maintain unfair districts, Hambley organized medical professionals across the state to fight back.
Hambley has vocalized his commitment to ending gerrymandering, standing up to Trump, rejecting the influence of corporate PAC money in Ohio, and preventing intentionally misleading ballot language (like the reproductive rights amendment and anti-gerrymandering initiative), earning the endorsement of the Working Families Party of Ohio.
Treasurer of State
Seth Walsh
Seth Walsh is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
Justice of the Supreme Court
Marilyn Zayas
Marilyn Zayas is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
Jennifer Brunner
Jennifer Brunner is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
State Representative (34th District)
Derrick Hall
Derrick Hall is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
Member of State Central Committee, Man (28th District)
Elliot Kolkovich*
Elliot Kolkovich is running against Andy Padrutt in the Democratic primary.
Kolkovich, current Summit County Prosecutor, brings a wealth of experience to the role, having previously interned with the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office in the Criminal Felony Division and for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office in the Antitrust Division. Kolkovich worked in the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office Juvenile Division, prosecuting abuse, neglect, and dependency cases, then in the Criminal Felony Division. He served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio for eight months before returning to the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office as the Community Outreach Prosecutor.
During his time as Prosecutor, Kolkovich has directed the first reorganization of the Criminal Division in decades, renewed the Office’s focus on efficiently rehabilitating offenders, helping to increase diversionary and intervention placements by 48%, and committed the Office to proactive work in the community to prevent crime from happening, earning the Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Government.
Member of State Central Committee, Woman (28th District)
Margo Sommerville
Margo Sommerville is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
Judge of the Court of Appeals
Betty Sutton
Betty Sutton is running unopposed in the Democratic primary election.
National Candidates
U.S. Senator
Ron Kincaid*
Ron Kincaid and Sherrod Brown are facing off in the Democratic primary.
Kincaid supports a gold standard public healthcare option that increases competition, lowers premiums, and uses the purchasing power of millions of Americans to negotiate lower drug prices.
He is also in favor of strengthening and expanding the state’s clean energy economy to help fight climate change, protecting health care and reproductive rights, and strengthening unions. Kincaid has proposed the American Dividend Plan, a direct payment to workers who have been impacted automation, stating “as our economy becomes more productive, families should benefit directly, helping them cover everyday costs like groceries, housing, and utilities.”
Unlike his opponent, Sherrod Brown, Kincaid emphasizes running a grassroots campaign built on the voices of Ohioans, not special interests.
Brown, a staunch supporter of Israel, is in the top 20 of US Senators who accepted money from the pro-Israel lobby, having received over 7 million dollars* from lobby groups and their donors.
Stow Collaboration for Change cannot recommend Brown given his historical and continued support of Israel.
*This post has been updated to correct an error regarding Brown’s funding. The original text incorrectly stated the amount as over $7 billion.
Representative to Congress (13th District)
No Recommendation
Stow Collaboration for Change cannot in good conscience recommend the uncontested Democratic candidate, Emilia Sykes.
Sykes, who voted in favor of providing billions of dollars in funding to Israel, is endorsed by DMFI PAC, who works to elect pro-Israel Democrats.
In 2023, Sykes stated “I stand firmly and unequivocally with the Israeli people, the right for Israel to exist, and reaffirm my commitment to supporting theState of Israel in its right to defend itself.”
Additionally, in 2025, Sykes voted in favor of a resolution praising ICE.