Tue 5/5 @ 6:30AM-7:30PM
Ohio’s primary elections are coming up on Tuesday May 5, and if you’ve opted not to vote early at your Board of Elections or to send for a mail-in ballot, you’ll want to circle the date and make sure you check with your county board of elections to make sure you know where your polling place is. Voting hours are 6:30am-7:30pm, and if you’re in line at 7:30, they are required to let you vote.
Since this is a primary, you’ll be asked if you want a Republican or Democratic ballot — and you can choose either. If there are no issues on the ballot in your area — and there mostly aren’t — then obviously there is no “issues only” ballot option.
While the marquee races for races such as U.S. Senate, governor and other statewide races mostly have one prominent candidate and one or more obscure challengers — the Democratic race for Secretary of State is an exception with candidates Bryan Hambley and Allison Russo both running high-profile campaigns — many of the downballot races for offices such as state senator and state representative, and county council have multiple candidates. It’s a good idea to go to the board of elections website, put in your address, and find your ballot, so you can look up who all those unfamiliar names are. Most of the judicial primary races also have no challenger. Only one Democratic judge has drawn a primary challenger — the well-respected William Vodrey, who has another “Gallagher” tossed at him (seven unrelated Gallaghers already sit on the Cuyahoga County bench — in hopes that voters will choose a name, not a candidate’s qualifications.
While you might not have strong feelings about these mostly uncompetitive primary races, there’s one compelling reason to vote. Our current Secretary of State Frank LaRose has increased voter role purges, and Republicans in Columbus think this is a great idea and hope to do them more frequently and extensively. That’s a good reason to vote in November for either Hambley or Russo, depending on who wins the primary: Republican Robert Sprague will almost certainly continue LaRose’s drive to eliminate voters from the rolls under the guise of “voter list integrity. Such purges are often based on how recently a voter has voted, so it’s a good idea just to show up and mark your territory as an active voter.
If you’re in Cuyahoga County, go here to find your polling place and ballot. In other counties, just put in your county name and “board of elections.” We need more participation: get in the habit!