TOLEDO, Ohio —
Two historically bellwether counties in northwest Ohio could indicate who wins the presidential election in November.
Both Ottawa and Wood counties have voted in favor of the winning president since 1980, except for 2020 when both voted for former President Donald Trump, who lost the election to President Joe Biden.
"Historically, we've kind of used that bellwether term to essentially say 'as that county goes, so goes the nation,'" said Nicole Kalaf-Hughes, associate professor of political science at Bowling Green State University.
She explained that the counties' demographics are key to their bellwether status, saying "You've got a really good mix of what the U.S. looks like."
Wood County Board of Elections Director Terry Burton says the county has correctly voted for the winning president 73% of the time since 1892.
"We have the urban side of the Toledo suburbs. We have a very agricultural base. The university makes us unique with such a large student population, so it just brings a lot of different voices to the table," Burton said.
In Ottawa County, Chris Enoch, Republican GOP Precinct Committeeman for Port Clinton District 1A, says the county is a representation of most of America.
"We are cops. We are firefighters. We're teachers. We're small business owners. Farmers. Store owners," he said. "We want the things that I think that all Americans in both parties want. We want good-paying jobs, we want low crime."
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