A reminder for early voters this weekend: the boards of election buildings in Cuyahoga and Summit counties moved earlier this year.
Sunday is the final day to vote early in Ohio for the 2025 general election.
The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections moved its headquarters from Euclid Avenue to Superior Avenue in Cleveland.
In previous years, early voters would find themselves lined up outside and around the block waiting to cast an early ballot.
The new building has 4,000 more square feet of space for polling booths and a winding lineup area.
Cuyahoga County Board of Elections Director Anthony Perlatti said he expects a more efficient early voting experience.
“You're not standing outside underneath the circus tent waiting to vote. You're inside where it's dry, warm, and we get you in and out of this building quickly. You will probably not spend more than five minutes once you get here,” Perlatti said.
The Euclid Avenue space had fewer than 50 parking spaces available to voters. Perlatti said he used to ask neighboring properties to “borrow” parking spaces.
The new building on Superior Avenue has more than 100 spaces available to voters right now and Perlatti said the board can make a few hundred more spots available on busier days down the road.
The Summit County Board of Elections moved from Grant Street to Tallmadge Avenue in Akron.
The board's deputy director Pete Zeigler said it’s been a big improvement as well.
"It's made with our needs in mind. There's a lot more parking, it's on a major road so traffic flow is improved,” Zeigler said. "The buildings we were in before, they were not built to be a board of elections.”
Zeigler said voters have been impressed with the space.
“We had a lot of public tours available before the election and the impressions of people left with were pretty astounding,” Zeigler said.
Both the Cuyahoga and Summit County Boards of Elections are open for early voting from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked on or before Nov. 3. Polls are open on Election Day, Nov. 4, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
