2 candidates on the November 3, 2026 ballot, from the Federal Election Commission's list (opens in a new tab). The officeholder comes first, then the Republican and Democratic nominees together by last name, then everyone else by last name; in each group a candidate with a statement or vote on the record comes first (how the order works). Each has the same space. The list: FEC candidate master file (cn26): every candidate who filed for 2026, not the state's ballot (the FEC bulk file as downloaded October 9, 2026).
Checked · How the record reads leaders · Report a change · Corrections
More on Ohio: the state page · its laws and bills on data centers · its leaders
Democratic · In office
No sourced statement on the record as of October 19, 2026. Silence is not a position.
0 statements · 1 vote on the record
Photo: public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab), cropped.
Republican
Derek Merrin reported capital gains of at least $1,200 from Nvidia stock and options in a financial disclosure covering 2025 through mid-2026.
Their newest statement on the record, September 28, 2026, TiffinOhio.net (opens in a new tab).
2 statements · 0 votes on the record
These candidates are off the November 3 ballot. Each line gives the status, the day and the source; what each has said about data centers stays on their own page.
A candidate leaves a race before the general election by losing the primary, withdrawing or being disqualified, and the record writes it only where a source says so. How the record follows each candidacy.
These candidates are not printed on the November 3 ballot. A voter writes in the name, and the votes count because an official election list certifies the candidacy: the state's own, or a county election board's where the state publishes none. Each line names the list that certifies it; what each has said about data centers stays on their own page.
Labels are applied by the record's published rules: two readings of each statement, and a third that reads its source where the two differ. Every label sits beside its statement and its source, and any label can be challenged through Report a change, with the correction logged on the corrections page.
No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Marcy Kaptur.
No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Marcy Kaptur.
1 vote on data center measures: 0 in favor of data centers, 1 against.
Derek Merrin has 2 statements on data centers on the record.
Derek Merrin reported capital gains of at least $1,200 from Nvidia stock and options in a financial disclosure covering 2025 through mid-2026.
TiffinOhio.net (opens in a new tab) · Full quote, context and sources
Merrin voted in 2017 for Ohio's 2018-19 budget which included tax breaks for data centers.
TiffinOhio.net (opens in a new tab) · Full quote, context and sources
No vote on a data center measure on the record.
Candidates and their order come from the Federal Election Commission's list (opens in a new tab), verified October 9, 2026. Every candidate, by state · How the record reads leaders.
Are you a candidate in this race or on the campaign? Ask for a correction or send a statement, or email corrections@datacenterrecord.org.
Every race in Ohio, and where each candidate stands
Bill data from LegiScan (opens in a new tab), licensed CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab). The record chooses the bills, writes each stage in its own words and cites the legislature's own page for every bill.
Election Day is November 3
You can vote if you are a US citizen, will be 18 by Election Day, and meet your state's rules. Some states' registration deadlines have already passed, and some let you register at the polls. Check yours today.
Both links go to official, nonpartisan sites. The record never tells anyone how to vote.
