Voters head to the polls for the 2025 general election

This is a developing story that will be updated with information throughout the day.

Once again, voters are out at the polls bright and early at one of three voting locations in Oxford: the Marcum Hotel and Conference Center, Talawanda High School and Kramer Elementary School.

On the local ballot, voters will find Oxford City Council candidates, trustees in four different townships and board of education members for the Talawanda City School District up for election. There will also be three proposed tax levies to vote on. 

Follow The Miami Student for regular updates on how Miami Students and Oxford residents are voting at the polls throughout the day.

8 a.m.

As the sun rose over Talawanda High School, Oxford community members and Miami University professors trickled in and out of the parking lot, hoping to get their vote cast early before heading to work today.

Oxford resident Bill Gibbons arrived at the polls nearly an hour and a half after they opened, and he said he turns out for local elections because the political process needs to be supported on the local level.

“I mean, even these smaller elections where it doesn't seem like it makes much of a difference … we've still got political positions up for office, and we need to fill those positions,” Gibbons said.

He said he didn’t turn out to vote for any particular candidate or issue, but instead said he values local politics as a whole.

Jan Ames and her husband, Roger Ames, said they vote in every election, no matter if it involves local, state or national candidates.

“We always vote, always, always,” Jan said. “I've only missed one time, and that's when I was in the hospital having my first child.”

Jan said local elections are important because they determine who is elected up the ticket, all the way up to the national level. Roger used John Boehner, former Speaker of the House, as an example of the importance of local politics

“He started out just as a trustee in West Chester, [Ohio],” Roger said. “... He ended up being Speaker.”

Glenn Ellerbe, Oxford Board of Trustees member and city council candidate, arrived at Talawanda just before 8:30 a.m. 

“I came to cast my vote for the City of Oxford,” he said. “Hopefully, the citizens of Oxford [have seen] the things that I plan on doing and that they agree with it and vote accordingly.”

On top of voting to support his own candidacy, Ellerbe said he came out to vote for Issue 1 in support of the Butler County Elderly Services.

“We have a lot of turmoil going on with social services right now,” Ellerbe said. “The way I look at social services is here in America, we have developed programs to help people either become or maintain productive members of society …  and recently, there have been changes to those programs that tend to help the upper echelon of our society, and you have situations where they  are vilifying [these] programs.”

The morning rush continued to surge at the polls, as more Oxford residents hoped to cast their ballots before the work day began.

Reporting by Editor-in-Chief Olivia Patel.

9 a.m.

Outside the Marcum Hotel polling location, a slow trickle of voters pulled into the parking lot. On the grass outside the hotel, staff and student ambassadors from the Wilks Institute for Leadership set up tables for their annual “Party at the Polls” celebration. They offered coffee, donuts and other snacks for voters as they exited the polls.

Alexis Gomes, assistant director at the Wilks Institute, worked to provide resources like voter registration, absentee ballot information and helped organize this year’s event.

“Really, it’s just to celebrate civic engagement, boost morale and make voting as enjoyable as possible for students,” Gomes said.

Judy Ramsey, who has lived in Oxford her whole life, said she has voted in all the Oxford elections since she was eligible.

“I want my opinion heard,” Ramsey said. “I don’t have a right to complain about anything if I don’t bother to vote.”

Katherine Bachelor, professor of English education at Miami University, said she was particularly interested in the city council election and wanted to have a solid city council that she felt backed her interests.

“I think even in off-election years, we should still get out and vote,” Bachelor said. “It’s very important, especially now.”

Reporting by Asst. Campus & Community Editor Shannon Mahoney

10 a.m.

In the third hour since polls opened, Oxford residents continue to find time to cast their ballots. 

Near the entrance of the Marcum loop trail, voters arriving at the Marcum Hotel are greeted by a series of endorsements lined along the walkways. 

While many voters feel drawn to vote due to a specific issue on the ballot, other residents show up to the polls out of personal obligation.

Keith Hess, an Oxford resident and consistent voter, said he believed voting and exercising one’s civic responsibilities is a privilege.

“I believe it’s my duty,” he said. 

Reporting by Social Media Editor Kiser Young

Noon

As the day entered the afternoon, a handful of Oxford residents and Miami University students came and went from the Marcum Hotel.

“There wasn't really a line,” sophomore data science and statistics major Isaac Wanko said. “I remember I was here last year, which was also the presidential election year, and that was a lot busier.”

Still, students discussed the importance of voting even in off-year elections.

“I've just always felt [personal] civic duties, and exercising [your] right to vote is very important for our country,” Wanko said.

Caitlyn Wetstein, a graduate student in student affairs in higher education, said she has tried to vote every year since she became eligible.

“I don't think there's anything against absentee, but it's just different to vote in person, like the feeling is too,” Wetstein said. “And so just going and being able to engage in like your governance in civic engagement is really exciting.”

One particularly contentious race this year is the school board. As an alumnus of the Talawanda School District, Wanko was particularly interested in that race.

“One of the nominees I know a few years ago was going around and photographing teachers [who] had Pride flags outside their window, and [was saying] parents should go after those teachers,” Wanko said. “So that's, you know, very contentious to me.”

Despite the controversy, for many students, the school board doesn't affect them.

“City council is a little bit more [important to me] just with the relationship, [between] … the university and Oxford city,” Wetstein said. 

Reporting by Staff Writer Abe Hagood.

1:00 p.m.

The influx of soon-to-be voters to Talawanda High School has remained at a stagnant flow over the past hour. The walkway to the voting entrance, half-bathed in shade, has seen no more than three to four voters coming and going every ten-or-so minutes.

Richard Momeyer, a representative of the Butler County Progressive Political Action Committee (PAC), said the turnout has been particularly good. He’s been at the high school since 12:30 p.m., handing out bookmarks promoting candidates and initiatives endorsed by the PAC. He said he’s handed out more than 100 of them.

The back of the little yellow slips read, ‘Dedicated to promoting progressive values in local and Ohio elections.’ The front lists candidates including Patrick Meade, Tom Cooke and Amber Franklin.

Momeyer helped found the PAC roughly 20 years ago, but says its most recent goal has been pushing back against the “more rightward drift” of American politics, especially within the school board.

“Whether they’re going to be respectful of students and the diversity of the student body and the teachers who service them,” he said.

Sarah Miller has lived in the district since 1969, and said there’s been some “calamity” amongst the school board. She said she’s voted in every local election since she moved here and that voting is a powerful tool for overcoming local issues.

“I believe in democracy and voting is our right and should not be ignored by anyone, really,” Miller said. “I think when you vote locally, you vote for the people who care about your community.”

Reporting by Staff Writer Solomon Bowser.

2 p.m.

Although the Marcum parking lot was full, most of the people were either visitors staying at the hotel or faculty who parked in the lot earlier in the day. Still, some voters arrived at the location to cast their ballot.

Sarah Vaughan, who works for Oxford Parks & Recreation, said she tries to vote every year. She also said she was interested in the outcome of Issue 1, the Butler County senior services levy, which would provide increased funding to the Elderly Services Program.

“I think certainly now is a good time to raise our voice, even if it’s just for what people would consider a minor election,” Vaughan said. “[I’m] actually a little surprised that not many [other people] are here.”

Workers and volunteers from the Wilks Institute were still outside tabling, offering food from Uptown restaurant OxVegas Chicken.

Reporting by Asst. Campus & Community Editor Shannon Mahoney

4 p.m.

As afternoon classes wound down at Miami, the Marcum polling location remained slow.

The only people to be found were representatives of the Butler County Progressive PAC and volunteers at the Wilks Institute, who were advertising free pizza at 5 p.m. for their “Party at the Polls.” As the hour ticked by, less than five students were found going inside to vote.

Isabel Byrd, a junior majoring in political science and comparative religion, was one of the few students who walked over to Marcum after class. 

Even though Byrd doesn’t reside in Oxford full time, she said that voting in local elections is an important civic duty, especially since they tend to have the most impact. 

“I live here more than I live at my actual hometown, so it kind of feels like my duty to vote in Oxford, as opposed to in a different county or a different area,” Byrd said. “Sometimes it feels like voting doesn't really matter, but I think it prompts you to think about politics. It holds you accountable to research the issues and know where you stand.”

Byrd said that she mainly showed up to vote on Issue 1, an issue that she said had a large impact on the Oxford community.

“I think that public services are really important, and I know that property taxes can be high, but I think that it's important to find ways to fund public services that people need and utilize,” Byrd said. 

Despite the slow turnout, volunteers and workers seemed optimistic that more people would arrive as work ended and the evening progressed. 

Reporting by Staff Writer Molly Fahy

7 p.m.

The sun had fully set, and with 30 minutes left until the polls closed, the three Oxford locations were practically void of voters. 

The election results can be found at the Butler County Board of Elections website.

Reporting by Campus and Community Editor Taylor Stumbaugh.

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