Richland County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

Kaufmann is a political newcomer running for Richland County Commissioner, per the Richland Source. No campaign website was found as of September 10, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Mark Kaufmann.

Mears holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Toledo and spent more than 25 years at R.R. Donnelley and Sons Company, also working at General Motors' Mansfield plant and teaching communications courses at universities for over two decades, per his official county biography page. He was appointed to the Board of Commissioners in 2021 to complete an unexpired term, was elected to retain the seat in 2022, and previously served as an at-large member and then president of Mansfield City Council.

Dropsey is the sitting Richland County Auditor and received his education from North Central State College, per his official county staff directory listing. His office was honored by the Ohio Auditor of State with an award for excellence in financial reporting on the county's comprehensive annual financial report, per the Richland Source. No campaign website was found as of September 10, 2026; the official roster and election filing is the only verifiable source for Patrick W. Dropsey.

Ewing is a 31-year veteran of the Richland County Clerk of Courts office who was appointed interim Clerk of Courts by the county commissioners on April 21, 2026, per the Richland Source. No campaign website was found as of September 10, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Heidi Ewing.

Naumoff is the sitting judge of Richland County Common Pleas Court, General Division, per the court's official website. He earned a bachelor's degree from Miami University in 1983 and a J.D. from the University of Toledo College of Law in 1993, and before his election served more than eight years as a magistrate for the Mansfield Municipal Court, where he helped oversee the county's Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court, Veterans Court, Mental Health Court, and Domestic Violence Court, per the Richland Source. No campaign website was found as of September 10, 2026; the official roster and election filing is the only verifiable source for Phillip Naumoff.

Badnell has served as Judge of the Probate Division of the Richland County Common Pleas Court since February 2021, per the county's official site. She received two undergraduate degrees from Washington and Jefferson College and her law degree from Ohio Northern University's Claude W. Pettit College of Law, and is a former assistant county prosecutor who practiced civil litigation for over 20 years. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.

Franco has practiced law in Mansfield since 2009, after operating local title and real estate businesses before attending law school, with a practice focused on probate, estate planning, real estate and title matters, per his campaign site. He earned his business degree from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, graduated summa cum laude from Capital University Law School, and later earned an LL.M. in Business and Taxation. He has served as an adjunct professor at North Central State College.

Marilyn S. John, the Republican incumbent and House Majority Floor Leader, has represented Ohio House District 76 since 2019. She previously worked as a commercial lines underwriter and led the Shelby Senior Center before serving as Mayor of Shelby and a Richland County commissioner, per her official Ohio House biography. No campaign website was found as of September 11, 2026.