It’s Election Day, and we will have complete coverage and election results. If you haven’t already hit the polls for early voting, you might have some questions. We are here to help with answers.
We’ll be updating throughout the day, so be sure to check back throughout the day. Hitting long lines, experiencing any issues? Shoot us an email at tips@signalakron.org. Meanwhile, here’s some helpful information to get you started, as well as voices from across our city.
Phil Montgomery leads all candidates in Akron school board race
11:24 p.m. — The Akron Board of Education will look a lot different in the coming weeks.
Three newcomers finished in the top four spots during Tuesday’s election, led by Phil Montgomery (11,423 votes), who serves as the director of Finance and Budget for Summit County. Gregory Harrison — one of three incumbents in the eight-candidate ballot — finished second (9,796). Newcomers Karmaya Kelly (9,724) and Nathan Jarosz (9,272) followed in voting.
Combined, all four earned seats on the board.
Wilson expected to win council seat in Ward 1
10:51 p.m. — With five of six polling places reported, Fran Wilson is expected to win the Akron City Council Ward 1 seat. Wilson (2,280 votes) leads Acacia Reynolds (361).
Akron’s school board close to welcoming 3 new members
10:40 p.m. — With each reported vote, the Akron Board of Education is moving closer to introducing three new school board members. Phil Montgomery has tallied the most votes (9,126) with 44 of 52 polling places reported, followed by Karmaya Kelly (7,996) — both were campaigning for new positions on the board.
After incumbent Gregory Harrison (7,995), Nathan Jarosz finished fourth overall in voting (7,366). Four board seats are open in the eight candidate field.
Board President Carla Jackson (5,902) is sixth in voting. Board member Diana Autry, the former board president, is seventh in voting (5,009).
Summit County voters back Issue 1 and Issue 2 so far
10:04 p.m. — With 63 or 157 polling places reported, Issue 1 — a tax levy (renewal and increase) for the County of Summit Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board, has garnered 29,675 votes in favor (58.72%), with 20,860 votes against (41.28%).
Issue 2, a proposed charter amendment dealing with property taxes for Summit County, enjoys an 81% approval with 39,895 votes counted so far.
9:42 p.m. — With one-fourth of polling places reported, Fran Wilson holds a significant lead against challenger Acacia Reynolds for the Akron City Council’s Ward 1 seat. Wilson has 2,189 votes; Reynolds has 345.
Three newcomers take early lead in school board race
8:05 p.m — About 35 minutes after polls closed, early results from absentee walk-in ballots in the Akron Public Schools’ board race showed Phil Montgomery leading with 2,446 votes. Incumbent Gregory Harrison followed with 2,108, Karmaya Kelly with 2,017 and Nathan Jarosz with 1,958.
Eight candidates are vying for four seats on the school board.
She gets it from her mother
Alexandria Schall remembers going to voting polls with her mother when she was in first grade.
Since then, her mother has worked in numerous Akron elections. And on Tuesday evening, Schall showed up at the Kenmore Branch Library to cast her ballot.
Although she wasn’t fully knowledgeable about issues on the ballot, she still thought that it was important to exercise her right to vote.
“If you at least try, something could be done,” Schall, 35, said. “Even if you feel like it doesn’t matter, something is better than nothing.
“It definitely won’t matter if you don’t try.”
Kenmore resident supports Issue 1
Lisa Vega, 44, said she’s struggled in the past with substance abuse. Yet this Kenmore resident is proud to be clean and sober for nine months.
Her life experience explains why she went to the polls to support Issue 1, a tax levy proposed for the benefit of the Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Board. The ADM Board uses current levy funds to support people with substance use and mental health disorders throughout Summit County.
Vega said she kept up with Issue 1 via social media platforms.
“I think it’s important to vote on that because it helps funding costs for sober living and people with mental issues,” said Vega, who voted Tuesday at the Kenmore Branch Library.
Resident follows tax issues on ballot
In Firestone Park, Eric Eskridge didn’t follow the day-by-day announcements or updates leading up to the local election. But he made it his civic duty to conduct research to better understand issues and options on the ballot before he voted Tuesday afternoon at Voris Community Learning Center.
“I’m a homeowner, so taxes are always a big thing for me and my wife,” said Eskridge, 35, a physical therapist who works with elderly clients. “That’s why I wanted to come here and make sure I voted.”
Tara Hall, 50, discovered all the information she needed to vote on her phone.
“The internet is a great tool,” Hall said. “The things that I didn’t know or understand, I took a second and looked it up on my phone so that I could make a responsible and informed decision in my voting.”
Voter believes in having a say
In North Hill, showing up at Finney Community Learning Center on Election Day to vote is important to Lloyd Williams, 54. He’s a regular voter.
Why?
“The issues that are going around in the country, even the stuff that’s happening locally, you have to have a say,” Williams said. “If you don’t, then what’s going to happen?”
He inherited his passion for voting from his father, who he said used to be involved in local politics.
Williams, who voted Tuesday, said it can be challenging to understand what local candidates stand for — especially if voters don’t attend forums. (Candidates involved with the school board election with Akron Public Schools, for example, participated in more than 10 forums.)
“I see billboards when I go down the streets,” he said, “but it doesn’t tell me who the candidates are or their plans when they get into office.”
Curbside voting helps Akron voter with physical disability cast ballot
Akron resident James Brasiel cast his ballot under a state law that allows voters who are physically unable to enter polling places to vote curbside. He did so from outside the David Hill Community Learning Center as his fiancée, Brenda White, watched from the passenger seat of his truck.
In 2023, Ohio House Bill 458 changed several election laws, including the definition of curbside voting: “A board of elections must permit an elector with a disability who is physically unable to enter a polling place to vote in the elector’s vehicle or at the door of the polling place with the assistance of a bipartisan team of election officials.” The bill also prohibits an elector, or voter, from being permitted to vote curbside for any other reasons.
Although Election Day in Akron centered around local issues, Brasiel, 65, spent part of Tuesday afternoon thinking about national politics, including term limits.
“We got to stop 80, 90-year-old guys telling 20-year-old women what to do,” he said. “Things gotta change.”
White shares Brasiel’s sentiment about the importance of voting.
“I want to have my say,” she said. “I can’t complain if I don’t get out and do it.”
What is Summit County Issue 1 about?
This tax levy renewal and increase funds drug, alcohol treatment and prevention services to adults and children. It’s passage will keep money flowing to the county’s Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health board and its partners.
The levy would cost $75 per year for six years— about $6.25 per month — for the owner of a home appraised at $100,000. The levy would collect $46.5 million annually to maintain and expand support for local services.
For more information about what the levy will fund and how the ADM Board works, go here.
Electronic signature issue, now resolved, affects some early Akron Ward 1 voters
An apparent glitch in the software used at Summit County polling places to match signatures on ballots with their registration forms left at least two Ward 1 residents unable to vote shortly after polls opened on Tuesday morning.
The issue impacted at least five polling locations in Summit County: the Highland Square Library and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, both in Ward 1, as well as locations in Peninsula, Twinsburg Township and Cuyahoga Falls.
Bill Rich, a member of the Summit County Board of Elections, said the issue was quickly addressed by poll workers who reviewed paper records before a software update from the electronic poll book company was pushed through.
Read more about it from Government Reporter Doug Brown.
What time do polls open on Election Day in Ohio?
Polls in Ohio are open at 6:30 a.m.
What time do the polls close on Election Day?
Polls close at 7:30 p.m. If you are in line at that time, but haven’t voted yet, you will be allowed to vote.
Where is the Summit County Board of Elections located?
The BOE moved and is now at 1050 E. Tallmadge Ave. in the Chapel Hill neighborhood. The phone number is 330-643-5200.
What’s on the ballot in Ohio and Akron?
You can find a sample ballot for your area online.The League of Women Voters’ Vote 411 website has a more in-depth look at the candidates and their platforms, but here are some of the races you can expect to see on the ballot.
What’s the weather forecast?
It will be partly cloudy with a high of 53 and light winds.
How do I find my polling location?
You can find your polling location at the website for the Summit County Board of Elections.
You will need to provide your name and date of birth.
And if you are helping a friend in another county find a polling location, you can find any of Ohio’s 88 boards of elections at the Secretary of State’s website.
What do I need to take with me to vote?
When voting on Election Day, voters must present a photo ID. These are the acceptable options:
- Ohio driver’s license – unexpired
- State of Ohio ID card – unexpired
- Interim ID form issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- U.S. military ID card
- Ohio National Guard ID card• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
IDs must not be expired, but they do not have to include your current address as it is printed in the list of registered voters.
Voters are no longer allowed to substitute utility bills, bank statements, paychecks or other documents for a valid photo ID. And the Ohio MobileID is not a valid form of ID for voting.
Ohio identification cards are free from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ deputy registrar license agencies (locations). This interactive page can help you determine which personal documents you will need to bring to prove your identity.