At 11 a.m. Tuesday, the first two voters cast their ballots at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections for county Executive and Council. They are the first of tens of thousands of voters who will choose their candidates sometime during the 35 days before the September 7th primaries.
The opportunity to vote more than a month before the primaries puts the pressure on candidates to amp up their campaigns early, says Jane Platten, Director of the Board of Elections.
PLATTEN: “Campaigns have to get out of the box early, in terms of getting their message out there, and be aware of the fact that from today forward, people are making decisions on who they want to be their representative.”
Platten projects around two-thirds of all voters will cast their ballot early, either by mail or in person. She expects only a 20 to 25 percent total turnout, because the primary comes just after the holiday weekend.
The primaries will narrow the race down from 8 party-affiliated County Executive candidates to 3. Several Independents have also announced their intention to run. Their filing deadline is September 6th.
Carol Foster, 90.3.