CLEVELAND — Polls are open until 7:30 p.m. for Tuesday’s general election, which will include a number of municipal-level races and a special congressional election. Seats on local school boards, city councils and courts will be among those decided on Tuesday.
Election Day comes after weeks of early voting as thousands of voters have already submitted a ballot.
Learn about the candidates, the issues, and how and where to vote
Spectrum News 1 reporters are spread out across the region at polling locations with the latest updates. Follow along down below:
Cleveland mayoral race
For the first time in 16 years, Cleveland will elect a new mayor. Either Justin Bibb or Kevin Kelley will become the city’s next mayor. The two survived a seven-person September primary with Bibb coming in first place and Kelley finishing second.
Bibb, a nonprofit executive who has the support of former mayors Michael White and Jane Campbell, is seeking his first elected office. If elected, Bibb would also become the first millennial mayor of one of Ohio’s 10 largest cities. Kelley, who has been on Cleveland City Council since 2005, is the council’s president and has the backing of outgoing Mayor Frank Jackson.
As part of leading Cleveland’s post-pandemic recovery, the next mayor will be tasked with spending $511 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. Funds can be used for many things, including covering pandemic losses, infrastructure, education, housing and more. Municipalities have until the end of 2024 to allocate and end of 2026 to spend ARPA funds. Cleveland had more funds allocated through ARPA than any other Ohio city and was just one of eight cities nationally to have more than $500 million allocated.
Police issue also on Cleveland ballot
A key issue that divides the two mayoral candidates is Issue 24. Bibb supports the issue while Kelley opposes it. If Issue 24 is approved, a Community Police Commission would be formed, which in conjunction with the Civilian Police Review Board would oversee police conduct investigations and discipline.
If approved, the issue would make some of the most significant police-related changes to the city’s charter since the 2015 Department of Justice imposed consent decree went into effect.
The commission would have final authority over establishing the policies, applications and examinations by which new police recruits must be sought out and recruited and screened, including screening for bias, and could conduct bias screening with existing members of Cleveland police.
Special election to replace Fudge
Residents of Ohio’s 11th House district will soon have its seat in Congress filled following the resignation of now Housing and Urban Development Sec. Marcia Fudge. Democrat Shontel Brown will face Republican Republican Laverne Gore. Brown, a member of the Cuyahoga County Council, held off Nina Turner in August’s primary. Gore, the executive director of the Ohio Diversity Coalition, easily won the GOP primary in August.
The race is one of two special congressional elections being held in Ohio on Tuesday.
The Ohio 11th district, which includes parts of Cuyahoga and Summit counties, has traditionally overwhelmingly supported Democrats. Fudge defeated Gore last year by an 80-20 margin. The seat has been held by Democrats for more than three decades.
Cleveland Heights gets to elect a mayor
After voters in 2019 approved a change to the city charter, Cleveland Heights will get its first elected mayor following Tuesday’s election. Previously, Cleveland Heights City Council selected a city manager to run the operations of the city. The responsibility of running city government will soon rest with either Barbara Danforth, an executive coach, and Kahlil Seren, City Council vice president.
Current versus former mayor in Toledo
The race in Toledo will be between the city’s current mayor and a former mayor. Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz is seeking his second term as mayor after defeating Paula Hicks-Hudson in 2017. He faces Carty Finkbeiner, who served as mayor from 1994-2002 and then again from 2006-10.
Do I need an ID?
Election officials are reminding voters who cast an in-person ballot to be prepared to display identification. Acceptable forms of identification include: an unexpired Ohio Driver’s License, State ID Card, Interim Documentation with your former address, Military ID, or current (within the last 12 months) utility bill, bank statement, government check, or paycheck with the voter’s name and present address, the Board of Elections said.
What if I forgot to send in my mail-in ballot
As of Saturday, more than 22,000 mail-in ballots have not been returned to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. Mail-in ballots that are not postmarked by Monday may be hand delivered to the Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
Those who requested a mail-in ballot but failed to return the ballot may also go to their polling location and vote provisionally.
