Time is ticking for Ohioans to decide how to vote this Election Day, a decision that might be particularly difficult for those who don’t feel attached to a major party.
More Ohioans are registered as Independent – 36% of voters – than registered as Democrat or Republican. Data from the Independent Voter Project shows a stronger representation of Independents in the state than nationwide, which is about 29%.
“Those numbers aren’t Earth-shattering by any means,” University of Akron political analyst David Cohen said. “I think the conventional wisdom has been that Ohio is a very conservative Republican state. It's really not. We're still more of a purple state and I think there's a bit more of an Independent streak in this state.”
Michele Meuler is a retired teacher from Medina, who said she never felt connected to either party.
“I'm not one that has voted anybody who's Independent or Libertarian, so to speak,” Meuler said. “I do not really care if you have an L, an R, a D, an I next to your name. I want to know what you hope to do if you're elected.”
She said she’s never voted down a party line but registered for a political party for the first time in her life this past spring, for the sake of participating in the Democratic congressional primary to back a candidate to ultimately challenge incumbent Republican Rep. Max Miller in Ohio’s District 7 race.
“I felt like we really needed a good Democratic candidate. I haven't been happy with the representation that we've gotten from Max Miller,” she said. “I feel like I lean liberal. I always felt like it was most important to help our fellow human beings. I think that's why I consider myself liberal.”
Still, she plans to change her voter registration back to Independent as soon as possible.
“I feel like it's important to do your homework as a voter,” Meuler said. “If you truly do that without being fixated on the party, you might surprise yourself.”
In Ravenna, Independent voter Robert Schwenk talked about voting for the first time in 2000.
“My votes were basically what somebody told me to. I was a union electrician at the time and the union hall was supporting Al Gore, so that's who we voted for. As I grew up, I started learning to form my own political opinions,” Schwenk said. “I don't find myself very Liberal and I don't find myself very Conservative.”
Schwenk said there’s nothing that could make him feel like he belongs to either the Republican party or the Democratic Party.
“They want us divided so they can continue to line their pockets and argue and fight, and the more division there is in this country, the more powerful the elites become,” he said.
In the last three presidential elections, he’s voted Democrat, Libertarian and Republican. He said the parties have changed and become too extreme – especially Democrats, he said – and he’s never felt pressured to vote for a party knowing an Independent has a long shot to win.
“I hear constantly, 'Well, you're just wasting your vote.' I don't care because eventually enough of us are going to get fed up enough where that Independent is going to pull the vote because we're tired of this nonsense between the two parties,” Schwenk said.
Cohen said Ohioans feeling less attached to parties isn’t unusual, but perhaps it’s for different reasons than years past. He said in 2026 parties have gotten away from their “established wings.” For the Republicans, it’s the unpopularity of President Donald Trump, and for the Democrats, it’s the rise of a powerful left within the party, Cohen said.
“The only thing worse than the Democratic Party brand right now is the Republican Party brand,” Cohen said. “I think both parties are kind of going through unique challenges of the current era.”
Some Ohioans do register for a party, but would rather not, like Carl Wilhoyte from South Euclid, who is a registered Democrat.
“I feel like I have a political home and it's in the socialist movement,” Wilhoyte said. “We don't see ourselves as being a sort of like Democratic Party lobbying group whatsoever.”
Wilhoyte is part of the Democratic Socialists of America, and is heavily involved with the local chapter.
“We are running explicitly as Socialists,” he said. “We use the Democratic Party ticket as a strategic avenue to run as Socialists.”
Wilhoyte said he’s felt a pressure to vote for Democrats in “every single” election, even if it’s for a candidate he doesn’t like.
“That pressure is omnipresent through my entire voting life, and often it comes from other Democrats who nominate these really lackluster, uninspiring, loser candidates,” Wilhoyte said. “They’ll say vote blue no matter who, except if it's a Socialist. If it's a Socialist candidate, man, they'll pull out all the stops to make sure that you don't vote for that candidate.”
Republican Jeff Haug from North Olmsted said he doesn’t always feel at home in the party.
“Independents, they take a step back and allow some flexibility on, I hate to use the word common sense, but that's maybe the best answer,” Haug said. "Either you've got to wear a red Republican MAGA hat or you're out, and the same thing with the Democrat party.”
He said he’s not against the Trump administration, but does disagree with some policies, particularly the increase of immigration enforcement.
“What about all the immigrants that have brought something amazing to the country, right? And maybe they were here illegally too,” Haug said.
These voters talked about wanting an alternative voting system. For some, that means ending the two-party system and providing more parties on a ballot. For others it means a ranked voting system, which some states and counties in the country have for local elections.
In the meantime, Meuler said both major parties need to shed extremism and get back to working together.
“I don't know how we're going to get anything done if we don't start working across the aisle,” she said. “I think we need to look at what is best for our country.”
This reporting is part of Ideastream's Listen, Engage, Vote initiative. This summer, our staff went to libraries across Northeast Ohio to hear what people cared about ahead of the midterms. We're using those conversations with voters to help inform our election coverage.
