Two weeks remain in 2025 Board election

OPERS county employees to decide this year’s contested seat

By Michael Pramik, Ohio Public Employees Retirement System

Sept. 18, 2025 – About two weeks remain for voting in this year’s OPERS Board of Trustees election, in which the representative for county employees will be chosen.

Voting materials were mailed in late August to those eligible to vote for the trustee to represent about 86,000 members working at a county job within the state of Ohio. All votes must be received by 11:59 p.m., EDT, on Oct. 3. Please use the online or telephone voting options that can be found on the ballot, if you’re concerned your ballot will not be received by mail before the deadline.

As a reminder, retirees, including re-employed retirees, vote in the retiree election when it’s contested. Retirees re-employed by a county employer are not eligible to vote in the county election and do not receive ballots.

The final results will be certified by a representative of the Ohio Secretary of State’s office at the OPERS office on Oct. 6.

This year, there were two other seats up for election, for miscellaneous employees and retirees. Because the current trustees holding those seats were the only candidates to qualify for the election during the petition process, they will begin new, four-year terms on Jan. 1.

The OPERS Board of Trustees consists of 11 members, and seven are elected. Trustees ultimately are responsible for all administration and management of OPERS including setting retirement system policies, approving the overall investment plan and asset allocation strategy, reviewing and approving budgets and acting as fiduciaries of the system.