The view from the Idea Center

So I’m NOT one of the 80,000 or so Cuyahoga County residents whose  polling place moved from one spot to another for today’s Election Day activities. Hopefully, you know if that includes you.

But I am one of the Cuyahoga County residents who will go out of his way to vote. That’s despite indications there will be low voter turnout for Tuesday’s election across Ohio — even by past low-turnout standards.

“It’s dismal turnout,” said Paul Beck, Ohio State University political science professor emeritus, who noted early voting is typically a good indicator of election-day turnout. “These off-year elections are usually very low-turnout contests.”

Early voting was off by as much as half in some counties – disturbing when you consider that both Summit and  Cuyahoga have charter changes on the ballot, those being the only two Ohio counties with charters. Around the state, there are 1,512 issues on the ballot, and school systems like Lorain, Columbia, Revere, Barberton, Brooklyn and Bedford Heights (and plenty of others), are looking for support in the form of levies. Even if you’re going to vote against those school levies, isn’t it still important that you help support the result you want? That’s democracy.

As I penned this about 10:30 this morning, Cuyahoga County had just reached the 100,000 mark in votes cast – that’s about 11%.

But you’ve got time. Polls don’t close until 7:30 p.m.

Until tomorrow on the radio ,
Rick Jackson

Need to KnOH

Headlines from Northeast Ohio and Beyond

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• Cleveland Botanical Garden Plans To Temporarily Close 3 Green Corps Farms

   

• Disabled Ohioans Taking Advantage Of A Program That Helps Them Save Money

   

• It's Election Day 2019. Here's What To Watch In Other States

   

• Sound of Ideas: Interview with RTA CEO India Birdsong and Statehouse Update

   

• Witness Tree In Akron Draws Attention To Mental Health Challenges Veterans Face

Your ideas

Rick made his case for voting today. How would you try to convince someone to get involved and go to the polls? Call us at  (216) 916-6476 or post  on our Facebook page. We'll feature some of your thoughts and comments here in Noon(ish) and on Morning Edition.

Yesterday, we asked how you were adjusting to the end of daylight saving time and whether you thought it was time to "ditch the switch." Bob Kirsch of Willowick said this on ideastream's  Public Square Facebook group: "I like how it stays lighter later. I think we should keep DST and forget falling back."

Linda McCorkle said that she has difficulty adjusting to the time change. "The first week or two after the switch to daylight saving are difficult for me; it is a shock to the system to suddenly have the sun out an hour later, meaning I should be working another hour." She said that we should pick a time, either standard time or daylight saving time, and stick with it.