Early Vote Numbers Show Modest Turnout Throughout Miami County

Vol. III, No. 156 - Election Day is Tomorrow!

We Are Feeding our Neighbors here at Civic Capacity

Throughout November, this publication is giving our readers an opportunity where our readers can support local food pantries. Every dollar received from our “Buy Me a Coffee” Page will be given to New Path Food Pantries.

We started November with a modest goal to raise $750. After the second day of our campaign, our community raised $1,500. Our new goal for November is to raise $2,500. You can be a part of this effort by making a donation here:

Thanks to our donors who have generously given to this project: Pastor Bobbie, Maura, Jenny, Susan, Karen, Bev, Casey, Sherry, Iris, Carolyn, Stephanie, Karin, Teri, John and Kim, Jenni, Ruth, Natalie, Sandy, Stewart, Teri, Barb, Christina, Leib, Laura, Russ and Kay and three Anonymous donors. Yesterday, Summer and Jackie joined our ranks of donors!

The Miami County Board of Elections has released its final numbers for early and absentee voting, giving a preview of how engaged local voters may be heading into Election Day. A total of 4,517 ballots have already been cast across the county out of 76,647 registered voters. That adds up to a turnout of 5.8 percent so far. While that may sound small, it actually marks an improvement from four years ago, when 3,962 early votes were cast.

The higher countywide total shows that more voters took advantage of early voting this year, even if the picture looks different from community to community. In Troy, for example, 1,384 early votes were recorded, down from 1,562 four years ago. That drop of about 11 percent means Troy’s early voter participation is lower than in the last local election cycle.

In Piqua, the trend is the opposite. This year, 345 early votes were cast compared to 311 four years ago. That represents an increase of about 11 percent. Even so, it’s still a small share of the city’s voters, just 2.8 percent of those registered. Piqua continues to lag behind the county average when it comes to people casting ballots ahead of Election Day.

Looking closer at turnout by school district gives a more detailed view of voter participation. The Miami East School District saw one of the strongest early turnouts, with 545 early votes representing an 8.3 percent participation rate. Tipp City’s early turnout reached 6.3 percent, with 811 residents already casting ballots. The Milton-Union School District came in at just above 5 percent with 361 early votes.

The Bethel Local School District saw some particularly interesting changes in where its votes are coming from. Of the 386 early votes cast this year, 175 came from voters who live in the Huber Heights portion of the district. Four years ago, voters in Huber Heights made up about 37 percent of the early vote in Bethel’s district. This year, that share has climbed to 45 percent. That shift could signal growing engagement among residents in that area, an encouraging sign for future elections.

While early voting figures don’t always predict what total turnout will be on Election Day, they do offer some clues about community engagement. When early voting is higher than in past years, it often suggests that people are paying close attention to what’s happening in their local government. With many city and school board races on the ballot this year, that engagement can make a meaningful difference.

For those who have not yet voted, Tuesday is the final opportunity to make your voice count. Local elections decide how our communities handle growth, safety, and the education of our children. When fewer people vote, each ballot carries even more weight. Your opinion matters, and casting a vote is one of the most direct ways to shape the direction of your city and schools.

At Civic Capacity, we’ve covered the important issues shaping Miami County throughout the year, from economic growth to school funding and infrastructure projects. These are the kinds of decisions that will continue to be made by the local leaders chosen at the ballot box. Whether you are concerned about new development, school finances, or how tax dollars are being spent, your influence begins with showing up to vote.

Polls open Tuesday morning and will remain open throughout the day, giving everyone a fair chance to participate. Even if you didn’t vote early, tomorrow brings that chance to stand up for what matters most to your community. Exercise that right, have your say, and let your neighbors know that civic participation still matters in Miami County.

Of course, this publication will be digging into the final results, precinct by precinct to better tell the story of this year’s election!

Participate in our November Community Survey!

Back when this project was kicked off over two years ago, this newsletter was imagined as a helpful tool to not only help have our residents understand their community, but also to receive feedback and get ideas on how residents perceived where our hometowns was headed.

In order to achieve that goal, the decision was made to release a small survey that would ask residents their thoughts and feelings every two months. Every month seemed excessive, yet, once a quarter didn’t seem quite frequent enough. The idea was to help create a picture of the sentiment in the community and measure that sentiment over time.

So, throughout November, you can participate in our survey to give your thoughts and feelings on the direction of your hometown!

You can access the survey here:

Thanks for your time and your participation! It is greatly appreciated!

Endorsement Pieces Welcome!

Is there a candidate or issue you are excited to support this election season? Let us know! We would be happy to publish your supportive ideas for your candidate or tax issue on this November’s ballot!

Unlike traditional media sources, you aren’t limited to word counts, nor will your ideas be stuck behind a paywall. We believe in the free exchange of ideas and welcome your contributions. Send your ideas to: pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.

A New Handbook to grow Civic Capacity!

Recently, we created a new digital handbook, “The Citizen’s Guide to Public Records”. This handbook is designed to help residents have a better understanding of public meetings and meeting records. It’s filled with templates, ideas and other information that will open a new world of public affairs.

Also, if you have ideas for future handbooks, please let us know at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.

Want to Learn More About Troy’s Businesses?

Our publication has recently released our September 2025 Economic Abstract, the most comprehensive and up-to-date report on the businesses and industries in the City of Troy. For those that want to understand our community’s business and industries, this is a must-have report.

Thank you to our New Media Partners!

Recently, many of our stories has been showing up on the local news website, www.mymiamicounty.com. We are grateful for the good folks for sharing our work with their audience and we would encourage our readers to check them out at their website!

Our publication would also like to recognize the good work being done at www.piquanewsnow.com. Piqua News Now is a new web-based news and information site for the Miami County area, with a specific focus on Piqua!

In addition, the good folks at Piqua News Now have started a new, 24-hour streaming YouTube channel. This channel is awesome with continuous weather updates and more importanly, it provides a 24-hour audio feed from county wide dispatch. Check it out here!

Also, thanks for reading today’s Civic Capacity Newsletter! Please feel free to share this information with your friends and neighbors.

Also, please consider subscribing to our work. If you are a free subscriber, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. For less than $1 a week, you can get timely and conversational updates about the decisions that are impacting your hometown!