It’s Election Day and we will have complete coverage and election results for Issue 1 and Issue 2 as well as local races and issues.
Polls are now closed as of 7:30 p.m. We expect ballots cast early to be tabulated within the first hour.
We will have news and updates throughout the night so be sure to check back.
Cleveland Council Member Danny Kelly will keep representing Ward 11 residents
Updated 11:25 p.m. | Dakotah Kennedy
Voters in Cleveland’s Ward 11 decided to keep Council Member Danny Kelly, who was appointed to the seat in January. Ward 11 includes parts of the Edgewater, Cudell, West Boulevard, Jefferson and Bellaire-Puritas neighborhoods.
Kelly replaced Brian Mooney, who resigned after being elected to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. Kelly is a retired union laborer with Laborers Local 310. Before joining council, he worked with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District as a family and community engagement specialist and also rallied voters to pass several school levies. Kelly was the only City Council member on the ballot. He was leading by just over 61%, with the majority of votes in the ward counted at 11:25 p.m. His opponent, Michael Hardy, had 38.7% of votes.
A father of four, Kelly lives on Cleveland’s West Side in Ward 16, two blocks outside of the Ward 11 boundaries. The city charter does not require council members to live in the wards they represent – but if they do live in the ward, they forfeit their offices if they move out.
Election 2023: Voter turnout across Cuyahoga County and Cleveland
Tri-C President calls Issue 5
Updated 10:20 p.m. | Amy Morona
Cleveland Municipal Clerk of Court’s Earle B. Turner holds wide lead over challenger in re-election bid
Updated 9:55 p.m. | Dakotah Kennedy
Longtime Cleveland Municipal Clerk of Courts Earle B. Turner appeared headed to an easy re-election Tuesday night, defeating Cleveland City Council Member Brian Kazy.
With 14% percent of the vote counted, Turner was leading by 51 percentage points.
Turner, a former Cleveland council member of 21 years, has been clerk since 1996.
The Clerk of Court’s office maintains records on all court cases filed in Cleveland Municipal Court. The office also collects and distributes fines and fees from those cases.
Kazy was elected in 2015 to represent Ward 16, which includes the West Side neighborhoods of Bellaire-Puritas and West Park. Kazy will remain on council.
Ohio voters back Issue 2 allowing adults to carry and use recreational marijuana
Ohio voters on Tuesday made Ohio the 24th state – the 25th if the District of Columbia is included – to legalize recreational marijuana.
Though voters rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize
marijuana in 2015, Ohioans backed Issue 2 with almost 56% of statewide voters approving the measure and about 44% voting against it.
Read Signal’s coverage of Issue 2 here.
Adding reproductive rights to the state constitution
Ohio voters backed Issue 1. Multiple news outlets, including NBC News,
project the amendment, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, will pass. In Cuyahoga County, with 18% of the vote in, 75.69% of voters checked ‘yes’ on the issue. Read Signal Cleveland’s Issue 1 coverage here.
Voter turnout up in Cuyahoga County and Cleveland
Use this map to explore voter turnout in Cuyahoga County and Cleveland’s wards. Countywide turnout was 43% and Cleveland turnout was 29%.
Issue 38 Watch
Updated 8:05p.m. | Nick Castele and Signal Staff
Signal Cleveland is following Issue 38 tonight – here’s latest:
Looking for live updates of 2023 Cuyahoga County election results? Find them here.
The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections will update election results throughout the night. Find statewide results on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.
In line? Stay in line
Updated 7:09 p.m. | Signal Cleveland Staff
If you are in line before 7:30 p.m., you can still vote. Stay in line.
Forgot your ID? You can cast a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots are used
when a voter’s eligibility is in question or when they forget to bring ID to the polling place.
If valid, the ballot is counted in the official tally for the election.
Signal Cleveland Managing Editor, News talks with 3News
Updated 6:24 p.m. | Signal Cleveland Staff
Mark Naymik talks with the WKYC news team about Issue 1, Issue 2 and Issue 38.
Mapping Cleveland and Cuyahoga County voter turnout
Updated 5:40 p.m. | April Urban
A look at voter turnout in Cleveland’s 17 wards and Cuyahoga County suburbs as of 4:30 p.m. Turnout in Cleveland so far is similar to 2021 when Mayor Justin Bibb was elected.
Keeping tabs on election turnout
The Signal Cleveland election night team tracks voter turnout and prepares to share results with Cleveland residents.
Just three hours left – did you vote yet?
Updated 4:30 p.m. | Signal Cleveland Staff
If you are heading out to vote you can find your polling location at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website. 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.
Cuyahoga Community College hopes watch party turns into victory party
Updated 3:05 p.m. | Amy Morona
For years, Tri-C has enjoyed voters’ support on Election Day. There’s little to suggest the college’s streak will end today. Tri-C’s backers are gathering tonight at the college’s Jerry Sue Thornton Center at 7:30 p.m. to wait for election results. Tri-C President Michael A. Baston will be on hand.
Tri-C is again asking county voters to endorse its mission and accomplishments by backing a renewal tax levy and a small increase, which appears on the November ballot as Issue 5.
Specifically, Issue 5 is a 2.1 mill renewal tax levy along with a new 0.4 mill increase. Here’s what that means: residents’ property taxes would go up by $14 per year for every $100,000 of their home’s assessed value if this measure passes.
How is turnout so far today in Cleveland?
Updated 2:16 p.m. | Nick Castele
As of 1:47 p.m., turnout in Cleveland stands at 18 percent. Collinwood (Ward 8) is leading in East Side turnout, ahead of East Side turnout champion Ward 1 (Lee-Harvard & Lee-Seville).
Print this resource page for Election Day
Updated 1:36 p.m. | Helen Maynard
On your way to vote ? You can bring resources into the voting booth as long as they are printed on a clean sheet of paper and don’t contain campaign advertising.
Updated early-voting total from Cuyahoga County
Updated 11:36 a.m. | Mark Naymik
After making its latest update to mail-in and in-person early voting totals, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections reports that 104,300 voters cast ballots early for the Nov. 7 election.
It’s been clear for days that early voting in the county and statewide would surpass the robust early vote from the special August election. About 865,000 early votes have been cast for the Nov. 7 election compared to 757,653 early votes cast in the August election. In Cuyahoga County, 96,707 voted early in the August election.
But there’s lots more to come today because the bulk of votes are typcally cast on Election Day. (In August, 70% of the votes were cast on Election Day.)
Want to know more about Cuyahoga County’s election profile? Check out the board’s snapshot below.
I voted by mail but haven’t sent my ballot back. Can I still drop it off?
Updated 11:15 a.m. | Signal Cleveland 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. Cuyahoga County’s drop box is at the board of elections, 2925 Euclid Ave.
You cannot drop those ballots off at your polling location.
What’s a provisional ballot?
Updated 10:12 a.m. | Signal Cleveland 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.
Cleveland Election Day morning turnout
Updated 9:22 a.m. | Nick Castele
Your 8:30 a.m. look at turnout in Cleveland, where the West Side is notably up over the East Side. Kamm’s Corners (Ward 17) leading the way as usual, with Downtown, Ohio City, Tremont and Detroit-Shoreway in second and third place.
I voted by mail. Can I track my absentee ballot?
Updated 9 a.m. | Signal Cleveland Staff
Absolutely. Head over to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections’ website and drop in your name and birthdate and you can find out if your ballot made it back.
How do I know if I am registered to vote?
Updated 8 a.m. | Signal Cleveland 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.
Do I need a photo ID to vote in Ohio?
Updated 7:30 a.m. | Signal Cleveland 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.
How do I find my polling location?
Updated 7 a.m. | Signal Cleveland Staff
You can find your polling location at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website. 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.
When do polls open and close in Ohio?
Polls in Ohio are open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
What are we voting for today?
The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections has sample ballots that you can check out before you vote.
In the meantime, make sure you know these key statewide and local issues:
Issue 1: If voters pass this, Issue 1 would make reproductive rights, including access to abortion, embedded in the state constitution.
Issue 2: If it passes, Issue 2 would legalize recreational marijuana use for those 21 years old or older.
Issue 5: Cuyahoga Community College is asking for a 2.1 mill renewal tax levy along with a new 0.4 mill increase. Residents’ property taxes would go up by $14 per year for every $100,000 of their home’s assessed value if this measure passes.
Issue 38: The charter amendment on November’s ballot would set aside $14 million, equal to 2% of Cleveland’s General Fund budget, to be spent according to a system of neighborhood-level votes.
Cleveland Municipal judges: Eleven candidates are running for four open judge seats in Cleveland’s municipal court, which also serves Bratenahl.
You can find explainers on each here and a resource page that you can download and print. Voters can bring resources into the voting booth. Those resources must be printed on a clean sheet of paper and can’t contain campaign advertising.
Where can I find election results?
We will have results for races after polls close. You can also find complete results at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections as well as the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.