The May 2 election is just under a month away, but you don’t have to wait until Election Day to cast your vote! Voters can vote early at the Board of Elections now through May 1. Click here for full details.
Voting by mail is also a convenient alternative to voting in person. To request your ballot, complete and return your vote-by-mail application by noon on April 29. Click here to download your application.
Don’t forget! Today is the last day you can register to vote or update your registration for the May 2 Primary Election. Register online at www.myohiovote.com or stop by the Board of Elections today to complete your paper registration. We are located at 2925 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115.
A Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 in select municipalities throughout Cuyahoga County.
These municipalities include Bedford, Bentleyville, Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Brooklyn, Chagrin Falls, Cleveland (4A, 4R, 4S, 6T.02), Fairview Park, Maple Heights, Moreland Hills, North Royalton, Parma, Parma Heights, Rocky River, Seven Hills, Shaker Heights, Walton Hills, and Westlake (Ward 1 only).
The outcome of this election will affect several municipal issues, school district issues and three candidates (Westlake). Take a closer look at the full issues list and/or election profile for more information.
Voter Registration Deadline: April 3
Anyone living in these municipalities who plan to vote must be registered. To register or update your voter registration, visit myohiovote.com.
Early Voting: April 4 – May 1
Voters may vote early from April 4 through May 1 either in person at the Board of Elections or by mail. If voting by mail, ballot requests must be received by noon on April 29 at the Board of Elections. Click to request a vote-by-mail ballot.
The Board of Elections is located at 2925 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115. Click to view in-house voting hours at the Board of Elections.
Election Day Voting: May 2
Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Click here to find your polling location.
The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections voted today to purchase 1,450 electronic poll books (e-poll books) from Tenex Software Solutions of Tampa, Florida.
“After 18 months of rigorous research, testing, and several pilot projects I am confident we have made the right decision for the system that is most appropriate for Cuyahoga County voters,” said Pat McDonald the Director of the Board of Elections.
E-poll books will eventually replace the alphabetical paper poll books that are printed for each election. Voters will be able to use their Ohio driver’s licenses or identification cards to check in at polling locations or to be directed to their correct polling place.
“Voters will receive faster service while lowering the chances of human error. The new e-poll books will make other election administration functions, including updating voter records, faster and more efficient,” said McDonald.
Most of the $1.7 million cost of the machines will be paid for by a $12 million state program that encouraged voting jurisdictions to upgrade to e-poll books.
The board plans to phase in fully functioning e-poll books starting with the Primary Election on May 2, 2017.
Author: Mike West, Media and Voter Education Specialist, Cuyahoga County Board of Elections
As we kick off the new year, we can certainly expect a busy 2017. There will be at least three elections and a fourth issues-only election in August, if needed. If you would like to see the profile for similar elections held in the past, follow this link to view the post-election results and profiles.
The first election will be May 2nd. It will be a primary election featuring up to 13 suburbs where voters will cast ballots for municipal and judicial candidates. Of course, there could be issues and charter amendments as well. There is a chance that Cleveland might join the election if the city puts the controversial minimum wage increase question to voters. The issues filing deadline for the May election is February 1st.
Here are some statistics from the May 2013 election, which is the last time we held a similar election:
Total Registered Voters: 165,757
Election Day Ballots: 16,816
Absentee Ballots: 8,808
Total Ballots Cast: 25,624
Voter Turnout: 15%
Precincts: 181
Voting Locations: 70
Municipalities: 14
The August Election is for issues only, and will only be held if issues of charter amendments are filed. We will know on June 9th at the latest whether we will conduct this election.
The Primary Election for Cleveland Mayor and Council, as well as 13 other municipalities that will hold primaries for their elected officials, will take place on September 12th. Here is what we can expect based on the same election that was held in 2013:
Total Registered Voters: 183,322
Election Day Ballots: 12,299
Absentee Ballots: 5,541
Total Ballots Cast: 17,840
Voter Turnout: 10%
Precincts: 227
Voting Locations: 98
Municipalities: 6
If history repeats itself, the November 7th General Election should feature hundreds of candidates running for municipal, school, and judicial seats, and over one hundred issues. Here are some numbers from the November 2013 election:
Total Registered Voters: 887,147
Election Day Ballots: 171,872
Absentee Ballots: 90,392
Total Ballots Cast: 262,264
Voter Turnout: 30%
Precincts: 1,047
Voting Locations: 410
Municipalities: 59
Issues: 88
Author: Mike West, Media and Voter Education Specialist, Cuyahoga County Board of Elections
It’s hard to believe the 2016 General Election is just one day away! Follow our guide below to make sure you are ready to cast your ballot.
Your Personalized Voting Information
We make it easy for you to check your voter registration status, find your polling location, and view your sample ballot all at once. Visit our website: My Voting Info.
Early Voting Concludes Today
Why wait until tomorrow when you can vote today? Stop by the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections until 2:00 p.m. to cast your ballot early in person.
Postmark Vote-by-Mail Ballots Today
If you are voting by mail and haven’t returned your ballot yet, you MUST postmark your ballot today. If you cannot postmark your ballot today, the only other option you have is to drop it off at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. You cannot drop it off at a polling location.
Know Where to Vote
You must vote at your assigned polling location. If you are not sure where to vote, you may look it up on our website: Where Do I Vote?
This is especially important for registered voters who may have moved without updating their registration. So long as you visit the correct polling location for your new residence, you will be able to vote a provisional ballot.
Bring Proper ID
Voters must bring identification to the polls in order to verify their identity. This may include:
• A current and valid photo identification card (e.g., driver’s license or state ID)
• A military identification
• A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the voter’s name and current address.
Know what is on Your Ballot
Be prepared and view your ballot before voting. Download your sample ballot on our website: What’s on My Ballot?
Take Voter Survey
We want to hear from you after you vote! Let us know how your experience was so that we may provide the best voting experience possible. Click here to take survey.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please give us a call to speak with an election official at 216-443-VOTE.
We’ve all heard of them and the stigma that goes along with them, but what does it really mean to fill out a provisional ballot? The truth is, we take extra special measures to ensure all eligible provisional ballots are counted.
Why Provisional?
Provisional ballots are used as a checks and balances system when there is question about a person’s eligibility to vote. The ballots are sealed in an envelope and brought back to the Board of Elections where staff works tirelessly to verify whether or not the voter is who they say they are, that they are in fact registered to vote, and that they haven’t voted yet. More often than not, provisional ballots are counted just like any other ballot.
You voted provisional, now what?
We received more than 10,000 provisional ballots in the 2016 Primary Election. A special team comprised of temporary and full time staff manually reviews every ballot—more than once—to determine whether or not a voter is eligible to vote and if their ballot should be counted. Here’s what happens next, in a nutshell:
Phase 1: Verification
We cross reference the personal information printed on the provisional ballot envelope with our voter database to see if the information matches. We also check to see if the voter voted in the correct precinct and polling location. We update our database as needed with new voter information. If a voter’s eligibility is still questionable, their ballot envelope goes to our quality assurance team for further review.
Phase 2: Check the Poll Books
Many voters who complete provisional ballots do so because they did not update their home address. We manually check each poll book to confirm a provisional voter did not sign the book (which indicates they voted) at their former polling location.
Phase 3: Verification from Opposite Party
Everything is bipartisan at the Board of Elections, including our verification process. Every ballot envelope that was verified in the first step is now reviewed by a member of the opposite political party. A democrat and republican will have signed off on every verified ballot envelope before they can be opened.
Phase 4: Count and Open Ballot Envelopes
After the provisional ballots have been counted, the envelopes are finally opened. Staff works in pairs, one democrat and one republican, to open envelopes and prepare ballots for scanning.
Phase 5: Scan the ballots
The ballots are scanned and the votes are counted! After the ballots are scanned, each individual’s voter history record is manually updated to reflect that they successfully voted in this particular election.
2016 Primary Election Provisional Ballot Results
A total of 10,401 provisional ballots were cast in Cuyahoga County in the 2016 Primary Election. Of the total ballots cast, 8,430 ballots were valid and 1,971 were rejected. View our official certification report for a deeper breakdown of all election results, including specific reasons as to why some provisional ballots were rejected.
For even more background on provisional ballots, visit our Secretary of State’s website.
Questions? Leave your questions in the comments below, or contact us directly at cbajic@cuyahogacounty.us or 216-443-6413.
Author: Cathy Bajic, Community Outreach Coordinator, Cuyahoga County Board of Elections
The Ohio Primary Election is finally here! It’s time to hit the polls and cast your ballot in what is sure to be a historical election. Click here to look up your voting location.
The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections staff has every last detail down to a T to ensure each election goes off without a hitch! While you’re waiting for results to come in on election night, our staff is hard at work delivering, processing and tabulating ballots, among (hundreds of) other duties. Check out this fun video to see what it takes to complete an election after the polls close, and visit our website tonight for live reporting as unofficial election results come in.
How do you feel about yesterday’s Super Tuesday election results? With so much at stake in our country this year, it is more important than ever to exercise your civic duty and right to vote.
Voters seem to be getting the message. Super Tuesday voter turnout exceeded expectations in many states, and according to the Columbus Dispatch nearly 70,000 Ohioans have already voted in the Primary Election. Now it’s your turn to make your vote count by participating in Ohio’s Primary Election on March 15.
Benefits to Voting in the Primary
Aside from voting for your presidential candidate of choice, you’ll have the opportunity to vote for U.S. Senator and Congressional Representatives, Ohio House and Senate candidates, County Prosecutor and County Council candidates, Ohio Supreme Court and county judicial seats, and Republican Central Committee members. Additionally, you can vote on issues such as the County Health and Human Services tax renewal, and municipal, township and school levies. Click here to view the candidate list.
Also, voting in a partisan primary is the only way to keep or establish your party affiliation in Ohio. Unfortunately, most voters do not realize this and last year more than 150,000 Democrats and nearly 27,000 Republicans lost their party affiliation. You’ll need party affiliation if you wish to work an election as a poll worker.
How to Join the Party
You can vote in person on Election Day, by mail or early in person at the Board of Elections. You will be asked to choose your ballot (Republican, Democrat, Green or Issues-only). What are you waiting for? Join the party and vote!
Click here to find your voting location, request an absentee ballot, and view early voting hours.
