Delaware County voters headed to the polls Tuesday to choose a new county commissioner, picking between Republican Renee Vaughan and Democrat Ryan Grissinger for a seat on the three-person Delaware County Board of County Commissioners. The two are running to replace Commissioner Barb Lewis, who is retiring when her term ends this year, and the winner will take office for a term commencing Jan. 1, 2027.
Vaughan and Grissinger reached the general election through very different paths, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Vaughan won a contested Republican primary earlier in 2026, while Grissinger ran unopposed on the Democratic side. Lewis herself had endorsed Sunbury Mayor Joe St. John in that primary, but Vaughan ultimately prevailed over St. John, according to The Delaware Gazette, which reported Vaughan took 11,685 votes, or 56.73%, to St. John's 8,913, or 43.27%.
Two Candidates, Two Résumés
Vaughan currently serves as a Genoa Township trustee and president of the Delaware County Township Association, according to a Dispatch candidate profile. Grissinger, meanwhile, said he runs Polaris Pixels, a technology and AI consulting firm, and previously served as chief technology officer for Roof Maxx, per the same profile.
The Dispatch, in its candidate profile, framed the race against a broader backdrop: Delaware County is shifting from a Republican stronghold to a competitive area as the county grows. The two candidates are competing for the seat.
Where They Split on Data Centers
The candidates staked out different positions on how the county should handle data-center development, a flashpoint in fast-growing Delaware County. Vaughan said she believes those conversations reinforce why zoning decisions are best made at the local level, according to the Dispatch profile.
Grissinger took a more prescriptive stance, saying any project seeking county support should publish its projected and actual water use and pay for independent testing of nearby water. He added that such a project should pay for the electric, road and water infrastructure it needs, instead of passing those costs to residents, per the same account.
Turnout Numbers Still Taking Shape
As polls remained open Tuesday, Delaware Source reported that about 170,000 people were registered to vote in the county, with roughly 50,000 of them having already voted in person or requested an absentee ballot. Board of Elections member Steve Cuckler offered historical context to Delaware Source, noting the county saw about 98,000 voters and roughly 64% turnout in the 2022 midterm, compared to about 133,000 votes cast and 82% turnout in the 2024 presidential election.
Cuckler estimated this year's turnout would likely land somewhere between those two figures. “You're going to see the turnout percentage probably somewhere between the 64% to 82% range,” he said. “So maybe around 70%, hopefully more.”
Turnout in the county's earlier primary was far lower. The Delaware Gazette reported that out of 166,234 registered voters at the time, just 40,386 ballots were cast, or 24.29% of those eligible, when Vaughan and St. John squared off for the Republican nomination.
