2 candidates are tracked for Judge of the Wood County Court of Common Pleas, General Division on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Paul A. Dobson and Joel M. Kuhlman. Candidate information follows official Wood County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Term commencing 01/01/2027; judges print without party labels in November. Dobson ran in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary; Kuhlman is the sitting judge and was unopposed in his primary, per the certified candidate list.
Trial court judge. A trial judge presides over criminal and civil cases at the first level: bail and pleas, motions, trials, sentencing and civil judgments. Judges are bound by state law and appellate precedent and are barred by judicial conduct rules from campaigning on how they would rule. Most states elect trial judges on a nonpartisan ballot; the term and the courts a judge may sit on vary by state.
This race. Nonpartisan: candidates appear without party labels. The sitting officeholder, Joel M. Kuhlman, is on the ballot.
Ohio › Wood County › Judge of the Wood County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
Nonpartisan
Per the campaign site.
Dobson has served as Wood County Prosecuting Attorney for 17 years and has been a trial attorney for 31 years, almost entirely in Wood County prosecution, per the campaign site.
Nonpartisan Incumbent
Per the BG Independent News.
Kuhlman has served as a Wood County Common Pleas judge since 2021 and is the Administrative Judge overseeing all three general division common pleas courts, per BG Independent News. Before taking the bench, he spent more than a decade in private practice representing businesses and municipalities and served as law director for multiple local governments. No campaign website was found as of September 9, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Joel M. Kuhlman.
Who is running for Judge of the Wood County Court of Common Pleas, General Division in 2026?
2 candidates are tracked for Judge of the Wood County Court of Common Pleas, General Division on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Paul A. Dobson and Joel M. Kuhlman. Candidate information follows official Wood County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
When is the Judge of the Wood County Court of Common Pleas, General Division election in Ohio?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for Ohio are on the Ohio election hub at theballotbrief.com.
How do I see my exact Wood County ballot?
Enter your ZIP code in the lookup at theballotbrief.com for the statewide and congressional races, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location.
Candidate roster from official Wood County and state election office filings, last verified September 25, 2026. Bios and priorities carry their attribution inline.
Cross-check with the official Ohio election office, or see the full Wood County sample ballot and your exact ballot by address.
6 tracked races in Wood County, Ohio. Landed here from another county's search? Look up your own ballot below.