Signal Akron reporters were out at the polls with Akron voters to hear about their experiences as they cast their ballots.
We have complete coverage and election results — you can also find complete results at the Summit County Board of Elections and the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.
Updated at 8:47 p.m. | Staff
Bernie Moreno is apparent winner in U.S. Senate Republican primary
The Associated Press called the U. S. Senate Republican primary race for Bernie Moreno, with 42.5% of the vote over Ohio Sen. Matt Dolan’s 36%, with 26% of the vote counted. Moreno will face incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown in the November General Election.
North High School voter: ‘This is the stuff that really matters’
Updated at 6:47 p.m. | Arielle Kass
At North High School, Voting Location Manager Josh Schaffer said turnout was “mediocre” at 5:35 p.m.
Of the 2,097 registered voters at the precinct, only 150 cast ballots by late afternoon.
“It’s a primary year,” he said. “You only get the hard-core Democrats and the hard-core Republicans.”
Nichole Christian didn’t realize it was an Election Day until about noon, but she’d watched the commercials and read the mailers she received. She made it to her polling place at North High School after 5:30 p.m.
Christian said her ballot didn’t have a lot of choices, but she still thought it was important to participate in the election.
“People have died for my right, so I’m going to carry on the tradition and vote,” she said. “I want just to keep my right to vote alive.”
Mark Walker voted at North High School Tuesday afternoon because “it’s what you need to do.”
The Republican voter said he was particularly interested in the race for state representative in the 34th district. He wanted to vote for a candidate whose beliefs coincided with his – improving education, bringing jobs, helping to reduce crime.
He was also interested in the race for U.S. Senate, where he said he wanted someone who was “upfront, truthful and honest.”
“Some people feel the general election is the most important,” Walker said. “This is the stuff that really matters.”
For Jean Hudson, 65, casting her ballot Tuesday afternoon at North High School was a no-brainer.
“You gotta vote,” she said. “If you don’t vote, you don’t get your voice.”
Hudson said she wanted to cast her ballot in the presidential primary as well as make sure she could register her opinion on Ohio Supreme Court justices. She wants candidates who will save resources, help seniors and help the schools.
Hudson said she knows there are a lot of people who don’t vote, but she thinks everyone should get out and participate.
“It makes a difference,” she said.
New citizenship, international perspectives lead some North Hill residents to the voting booth
Updated at 6:15 p.m. | Arielle Kass
Man Tamang became an American citizen last month and said he was glad to cast his first vote on a Democratic ballot.
“I’m very excited for that,” said the 34-year-old former Bhutanese refugee, who spent 20 years in Nepal.
Tamang said he voted for Sherrod Brown in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate and hoped that after this year’s elections, things would be “better than before.
Rebecca Shaffer, 62, votes every election because it’s her duty. Tuesday, she cast her ballot at St. Anthony of Padua School in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood.
A Democrat, Shaffer said she wasn’t thrilled with her presidential choices, though she said some of the other candidates were “pretty good.”
“I feel if you don’t vote and put your two cents in, you have no right to complain,” she said.
Yaret Arroyo said since the right to vote isn’t available everywhere in the world, he wanted to make sure he took advantage of his ability to cast a ballot.
“It’s a right that’s given to us here, a privilege,” the 23-year-old said. “I think I wanted to make the most out of that.”
Arroyo, who voted at St. Anthony of Padua School in North Hill Tuesday afternoon, said he thought it was important to participate in the democratic process.
“I just wanted my voice to be heard, that’s all,” he said.
Bruce Gillig had specific candidates he wanted to support in Tuesday’s election.
“There are a couple people we like and we want to make sure they get it,” the 70-year-old said. “Derrick Hall’s one of them.”
Hall, the former president of the Akron Board of Education, is running for state representative in Ohio House District 34. Senator Sherrod Brown, Gillig said, is the other candidate it was important for him to support.
Social Security, Medicare are issues for voters in Sherbondy Hill
Updated at 5:38 p.m. | Kassi Filkins
Akron resident Lisa Porter-Wade, 60, arrived at Helen Arnold Community Learning Center donning a “QUEEN” necklace over her purple top under her long black coat, ready to vote.
“So many people fought for us to have the right to vote, when we couldn’t as women vote,” she said. “And then as African Americans, we didn’t have the right to vote. So you just got to take advantage of everything that we have.”
But Porter-Wade said she wishes she would have received more information on today’s primary election, saying she didn’t receive anything in the mail. Casting her ballot today was important to her, although she admitted to needing to do some research after getting the ballot.
“Why would I look at something and then make a decision about what’s good or bad or indifferent later, when I can make a decision today?”
Democrat Chris Johnson, 61, said coming out to vote is his duty. No specific issues brought him out for today’s primary, but he said he can’t wait for the November election and that he wants President Joe Biden to win re-election.
“I don’t want no Republican in there,” Johnson said of the presidential seat. “I don’t want my Social Security played with, taken away. Or cut Medicare.”
Polls were slow into the afternoon — poll workers at Summit Lake Community Center said they had a total of 21 people vote as of 2:30 p.m. Sam Salem Community Learning Center had around 150 total voters as of 2 p.m.
Joy Park-area voters honor those who fought for voting rights
Updated at 5:15 p.m. | Doug Brown
Poll workers at Joy Park Community Center in East Akron said it has been slow all day. When Signal Akron arrived around 2 p.m., no voters were there.
But over the next hour, a handful of folks trickled in, including people with some very strong reasons for casting a ballot.
”My mom passed away last year,” explained Renee Le Grair as she was walking into the building. Her mother instilled in her family that voting was essential. “It was important for her to tell us to continue to vote because for a long time we couldn’t vote. Women couldn’t vote, Blacks couldn’t vote. So it’s important for us to continue that.”
Akron resident Rhonda, who did not share her last name, has a similar reason as to why she’s casting her ballot today.
“It’s important to me to vote because that’s my right,” she said. “There are a lot of people who fought for that right, especially women and Blacks on top of that. We want to make those people who fought in the past proud.
Akron resident Mike Goode votes in most elections. Today, his answer was simple about why he showed up.
“Emilia Sykes,” he said, referencing the U.S. Representative in Ohio’s 13th District who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary. “She’s just very active, very involved – she keeps us informed of what she’s doing.”
Shirley Baker, a Democrat, also tries to vote in every election.
“I just want to make sure that people are doing what they’re supposed to be doing with our tax dollars,” she said. “That’s the most important thing. I come out to vote because I know it matters.”
Goodyear Heights voters consider GOP primary candidates for U.S. Senate seat
Updated at 12:35 p.m. | Doug Brown
Christine Byrne arrived at Goodyear Heights Metro Park, excited to cast her vote in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
“I’m going to vote for Bernie Moreno,” she said as she was about to head into the park’s pavilion, where poll workers appeared to outnumber voters just before 1 p.m. “I’m tired of politics and I wish we could vote them all out.”
Donald Trump’s endorsement of Moreno didn’t factor into her decision, she said. “It’s somebody who’s non-establishment, not political, self-employed. He hasn’t been in the fight before but he has a reason to fight.”
Republican Vickie Whitt, on the other hand, still did not know who she was going to vote for in the U.S. Senate primary as she walked toward her polling place at the park.
“I’m wavering between them,” she said of candidates Moreno, State Sen. Matt Doland and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. “Maybe once I’m in there and see their names [I can decide], but right now no one in particular.”
Though she was uncertain of who she’d vote for to face incumbent U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in November, there was one name she was most sure of as she headed to vote: Donald Trump.
”I’m not happy with the way the United States has been going,” said Whitt, who voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020. “With the border, the economy, I think we can do better and I’m hoping we can do better.”
Changes in voting locations confuse area voters
Updated at 12:35 p.m. | Doug Brown
It took a while for Terry Maxwell, 76, to find where he was supposed to vote today. He first showed up at the wrong location – “that church down there by Acme” – before eventually finding his way to Ellet Community Learning Center just after 11 a.m.
“They redrew the precincts,” he said. “They did the same damn thing last year – the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing… What are we playing, connect the dots?”
But Terry was still in good spirits, joking and laughing with poll workers as he checked in and, eventually, was able to submit his ballot in the tabulator machine.
On the ballot, he’s most interested in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sherrod Brown.
“I’m for (Bernie) Moreno – I don’t know much about him, but I’m going with the man,” Maxwell said, pointing to his black Make America Great Again hat. Trump’s endorsement of Moreno was key to his vote: “I don’t have time to get all their backgrounds.”
Age not an issue for Biden supporter in Ellet
Bob Lauersdorf, 78, headed to his polling location at Ellet CLC around 11:30 a.m., most excited to cast his vote for the incumbent president who’s on the ballot against challenger Dean Phillips.
“I’m proud to say that I support Joe Biden,” he said. “I don’t want to say anything about that other guy, but I do want to see Joe Biden if I can.”
He acknowledged Joe Biden’s age – 81 – but that’s not a big deal to him.
“I know he’s old, but he’s not that much older than I am,” he said. “I’m 78 and I still feel pretty good, I remember everything.”
Voter turnout slow throughout the morning in University Park, Middlebury
Updated at 11:50 a.m. | Brittany Moseley
10:03 a.m. — When asked what brought her out to vote today, University Park resident Regina Gainer said, “So things can change – no more Trump, I tell you.” Gainer is an early-morning voter and she tries to vote in every election.
Gainer was one of a handful of voters trickling into First United Methodist Church on East Mill Street. Voting Location Manager Roberta Aber said about 10 people had voted before Gainer.
Aber became a poll worker in 2006. “I just feel like it’s an important job and it needs to be done,” she said. “And when it’s busy, it’s interesting. And when it’s not, you get to know your other poll workers.”
9:19 a.m. — Turnout was a bit stronger at Leggett Community Learning Center almost three hours after the polls opened. Voting Location Manager Russell Gordon said five people had voted so far. Six more came in throughout the next 15 minutes. “I don’t think we’ll get any big rush,” Gordon said.
One of the voters was Maggie Chappuies, a University Park resident and a student at the University of Akron. Chappuies said she tries to vote in every election and that she’s usually an early voter. No particular race brought her out to the primary today – she just came to show her support.
Gordon has been a poll worker for five years, and has been at Leggett for the last three years. He said just under 200 people voted in the special election last August which was “pretty high” for the location.
8:43 a.m. — Turnout was quiet at the Goodyear Branch Library. Poll workers said fewer than 10 people had voted so far, but they expected turnout to pick up after 5 p.m. when people leave work.
Middlebury resident Michael Widmire came out to vote because he “wanted to make sure I voted Democrat across the board.” There are “too many Republicans siding with the wrong people,” he said.
8:15 a.m. — The polls were quiet at Mason Community Learning Center almost two hours after opening at 6:30 a.m. Voting Location Manager Vanessa Winborn said two people came in to vote, but they were at the wrong polling location.
“We don’t have a huge turnout except during presidential [elections],” said Winborn, a Barberton resident and a poll worker for 25 years. She expects more people to show up on their lunch breaks and after work.
What did early voting look like in Summit County for this election?
Updated 11:20 a.m. | Staff
According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office there were a total of 8,683 mail-in ballots requested, with 6,995 returned.
For early in-person voting, there were 6,090 ballots cast in Summit County.
What’s a provisional ballot?
Updated 10:12 a.m. | Staff
Voters can use a provisional ballot when their eligibility is in question or when they forget to bring ID to the polling place.
If valid, the ballot is counted in the official count for the election.
I requested a vote-by-mail ballot but haven’t sent my ballot back. Can I still drop it off?
Updated 9:30 a.m. | Staff
Yes. Each county has a drop box where you can still return mail-in ballots. They must be returned by the time polls close at 7:30 pm today. Summit County’s drop box is at the Board of Elections, 470 Grant St., Akron. You cannot drop those ballots off at your polling location
How do I know if I am registered to vote?
Updated 8:45 a.m. | Staff
If you are unsure if you are registered to vote, you can check the Secretary of State’s site. If you aren’t registered, the deadline to register to vote in today’s election has passed.
I voted by mail. Can I track my absentee ballot?
Updated 8:05 a.m. | Staff
Absolutely. Head over to the Summit County Board of Elections’ website and drop in your name and birthdate and you can find out if your ballot made it back.
What’s a primary?
Updated 7:15 a.m. | Staff
Primaries are elections that political parties use to select candidates for a general election in November. Ohio primaries are partisan — meaning voters need to pick a party and vote for candidates they prefer to go on to the general election.
What do I need to take with me to vote?
Updated 6:30 a.m. | Staff
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
Ohio identification cards are free from 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.
When do polls open and close in Ohio?
Polls in Ohio are open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
What’s on the ballot in Ohio and Akron?
You can find a sample ballot for your district 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.
Where do I vote for a primary election?
You can find your polling location at 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 their polling location, you can find any of Ohio’s 88 boards of elections at the Secretary of State’s website.
