One candidate is tracked for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Probate/Juvenile Division (term begins February 9, 2027) on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Zachary Lane Saunders. Candidate information follows official Athens County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Ohio › Athens County › Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Probate/Juvenile Division (term begins February 9, 2027)
Nonpartisan · Incumbent
Judicial races are nonpartisan on the November ballot. Saunders, the sitting judge, won the Democratic primary unopposed on May 5, 2026 (4,071 votes, official results; no Republican filed a valid petition) and is the only name on the Board of Elections' November candidate list for this six-year term.
Trial court judge. A trial judge presides over criminal and civil cases at the first level: bail and pleas, motions, trials, sentencing and civil judgments. Judges are bound by state law and appellate precedent and are barred by judicial conduct rules from campaigning on how they would rule. Most states elect trial judges on a nonpartisan ballot; the term and the courts a judge may sit on vary by state.
This race. Nonpartisan: candidates appear without party labels. Six-year term. The sitting officeholder, Zachary Lane Saunders, is on the ballot. One name is on the ballot for this seat.
One candidate is tracked for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Probate/Juvenile Division (term begins February 9, 2027) on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Zachary Lane Saunders. Candidate information follows official Athens County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for Ohio are on the Ohio election hub at theballotbrief.com.
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