COLUMBUS — Election Day is now less than three weeks away, and while most have their eyes glued on the race for the White House, there are key state races that will a direct impact on Ohioans, including two for the Ohio Supreme Court.

One of those races pits a justice who has served 16 years on the court against a common pleas court judge who serves the state's largest populated county.

One lives in Hamilton, and the other in Lakewood.

Justice Sharon Kennedy was first elected to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2012 after serving as a Butler County domestic relations judge. She won her first full six-year term two years later and is now seeking another. Kennedy said she sees injustices in the court system when it comes to sentencing and would like changes to be made, but as a self-described “textualist,” she said she has to follow the guidelines she is given.

"It's up to the General Assembly to go back and look at what are the degrees of they are setting for crimes? What is the sentencing structure that they're setting for crimes," says Kennedy.

Her opponent, Cuyahoga County Judge John O'Donnell, said one way to address that is by establishing a uniform statewide sentencing database—something Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor has promised to deliver before the end of her term.

"I think that's a great thing to do so that judges, when they are imposing sentences, know what other judges around the state are doing," said O'Donnell.

Kennedy said she supports collecting data but said analytics experts have told her they're not sure how to implement the system.

O'Donnell has run for the Ohio Supreme Court before but lost in in 2014 and 2016. He said as a former civil trial attorney for nearly 10 years and more than 16 years as a judge, he is best suited for the court.

"I am thoughtful and analytical and dispassionate when deciding cases which is to say I can put aside my own personal preference and decide a case according to law and the evidence even if I wish the results were otherwise," O'Donnell said.

O'Donnell defines injustice as “you know it when you see it.” He said he sees the greatest obstacle to justice is economic inequality especially in civil court.

"If you're less well-heeled, you're less likely to get access to get into our system of justice," said O'Donnell.

Meanwhile, Kennedy thinks the court needs to adhere more to procedural fairness.

"Serving as a trial court judge for 13 years in domestic relations court, what I found is when people felt respected, that they had a voice, that there was neutrality and there was trust. They really adhered to the court orders helping find their own pathways out of the system," Kennedy said.

Kennedy feels the most effective way to get people out of the system is not sending everyone to prison.

"When all other societal systems fail our people, they come to our system. We turn no one away. So, we need to grow problem solving courts. We need to support them with some what I think is really compelling work that is being done," said Kennedy.

O'Donnell said Cuyahoga County is already focusing on diversionary courts to reverse prison overcrowding. Neither judge feels the war on drugs has been effective because it has mostly targeted substance users versus traffickers and addiction is still a major problem.

The future of how the court decides cases could depend on how this race shakes out. Kennedy is more conservative-leaning as are four other justices who currently sit on the bench.

However, if O'Donnell and appellate court judge Jennifer Brunner were to win, the court would have a liberal majority.