What to Expect at the Polls in Cuyahoga County This Election Day
Cuyahoga County is seeing a record early voter turnout, with nearly 63,000 residents having cast their ballots by Monday, surpassing the previous records set in 2020 and 2008 by about 10,000 ballots. However, officials expect the majority of voters to head to the polls on Election Day.
Cuyahoga County Board of Elections Director Tony Perlatti reassured voters about the safety and efficiency of the polling process. While the county has seen a decrease of 30,000 mail-in ballot requests, Perlatti anticipates that this will be compensated by a higher turnout on Election Day. Voters who have not returned their absentee ballots should note that the postmark deadline was Monday, but they can still submit them at the drop box at the county board of elections office until polls close.
For those voting in person, Perlatti advised to be prepared for longer wait times due to the high turnout expected for the presidential election. He emphasized that it may not be as quick as in previous elections.
Additionally, Perlatti mentioned that both major parties have requested to have observers at all 289 polling locations in the county. These observers are there to monitor the process, and if they notice anything questionable, they can report it to election officials.
As long as voters are in line by 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, they will be allowed to cast their votes. After the polls close, the first ballots to be counted will be the more than 218,000 already received from early voting and mail-in ballots. Perlatti dispelled rumors that these early votes don’t count or are only considered in close races, clarifying that they will be reported first.
While updates on the results will be provided every half hour, Perlatti cautioned that complete results for Cuyahoga County may not be available by midnight, as accuracy is prioritized over speed. He noted that smaller counties may report their results more quickly due to their size compared to the larger and more populous Cuyahoga County.
