Karen Kasler (Ohio Public Radio)

A controversial August special election about ballot measure rules is causing early headaches for local Ohio election officials.

Ohio could be the first state in the nation to use a combination of two drugs that have never been used before to put an inmate to death. This execution cocktail is the latest chapter in what's become a troubled history of capital punishment in the state.

President of Ohio State University Gordon Gee, 69, is retiring. The announcement comes a week after a recording surfaced of comments he made about Catholics and Southerners that some found offensive. Gee has apologized for his recent remarks, which were reportedly intended as jokes.

At the polls Sunday, reporter Karen Kasler encountered a carnival-like atmosphere — including dancing people dressed in Sesame Street costumes, a Lincoln impersonator, mimes and food trucks.

Ohio has been a key swing state in the last three presidential races. But there's a tone in the state this year that seems to go beyond any divisiveness that we've witnessed before. And it runs from the presidential contest to the Senate clash to a particularly bitter House race.

Ohio's U.S. Senate race is already the most expensive one in state history. And with accusing ads flying back and forth, and outside money pouring in, it's also on course to be one of the ugliest.