Early voting begins Tuesday in some parts of Cuyahoga County for the Sept. 9 primary. Here's what to know:
What's on the ballot?
Sept. 9 is not a countywide election. Only voters in six cities will cast their ballot.
In Cleveland, residents in seven wards will pare down their City Council races. Only wards where more than two candidates filed to run will need to vote who will move on to the general election. Those wards include:
- Ward 1: Aylwin Bridges, Marc Crosby, Joe Jones (incumbent), Lesa Jones Dollar, Juanita O. Brent
- Ward 3: LaShorn Caldwell, Deborah Gray (incumbent), Ras Olugbenga, Sharon Spruill, Erch Stubbs
- Ward 5: Rebecca Maurer (incumbent), Beverly Owens-Jackson, Richard Starr (incumbent)
- Ward 7: Michael Africa, Austin Davis, Mohammad Faraj, Mike Rogalski
- Ward 8: Stephanie Howse-Jones (incumbent), Leon Meredith, Charlotte Perkins, Tony Perry (write-in), Teri Ying-Liang Wang
- Ward 9: Alana Belle, Kevin Conwell (incumbent), Tony Evans Jr.
- Ward 12: Andrew Defrantis, Danny Kelly (incumbent), Tanmay Shaw
Uncontested races or those in which only two candidates filed, including the mayoral race, will head straight to the November election. The winners will take office in January.
This is the first Cleveland City Council election under new ward boundaries after this year's redistricting process reduced the city's number of wards from 17 to 15. Voters can see if their ward changed on the council's website.
In Cleveland Heights, voters will be asked whether current mayor, Kahlil Seren, should be recalled. Five candidates are also running for mayor.
East Cleveland is also looking ahead to their mayoral race. This comes after Lateek Shabazz assumed office last month, the third mayor this year after former Mayor Brandon King was convicted of corruption charges and removed from office.
The Board of Elections offers sample ballots here.
Where do I vote?
Cuyahoga County Board of Elections recently moved offices to a new space at 1803 Superior Avenue, about one mile west of its old location.
This will be the first election in which early voters will go to that location to cast their ballots.
Anthony Perlatti, the Board of Elections' director, said he only expects about a 20% turnout, but he hopes the new location will streamline the voter experience.
"Now [poll workers], have the space and the resources to do it even better than they did," Perlatti said. "It gives us the ability to push people through a little bit quicker because we have better sight lines and better flow of traffic."
The new location is 11,000 square feet, 4,000 square feet larger than the old. Perlatti said that increases the number of voter booths and capacity for indoor line queueing.
Free parking is available on-site.
A new ballot box is also on location.
All early, in-person voters will cast their ballots at the Board of Elections. Early voting is available:
- Aug. 12 -29: weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sept. 2: 7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
- Sept. 3-5: 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
- Sept. 6: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Sept. 7: 1-5 p.m.
Residents must bring an Ohio driver's license, a state identification card, interim I.D. issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, a U.S. passport or passport card, military I.D., National Guard I.D. or veteran's affairs I.D. to vote.
Voters can also vote by mail.
For those voting on Sept. 9, look up your polling location here.
Voter registration from those six cities closes Monday at 9 p.m.
