Voter Turnout is Steady in Lakewood

The polls are open in Lakewood, and at least a few of the polling locations have been steady on Tuesday.

The polling location at saw waves of voters throughout the day. Poll worker Art Gold, who’s manned that polling station for the past four elections, said it’s been busy. 

“As busy as I’ve seen it,” he said, adding that it’s unclear which — if any — issue in particular brought people out.

Lakewood resident Mickey Krivosh said there wasn’t any issue or candidate that got him out to the polls.

“I make sure to cast my vote every year,” he said. “It’s the patriotic thing to do.”

Lakewood wasn’t the only place that was busy.

Early appears to be higher than previous off-year elections, officials in several Northeast Ohio counties reported today. 

"We did a 9 a.m. sampling of 50 precincts across Cuyahoga County, and we're seeing a voter turnout of 3.6 percent at polling locations," said Jane M. Platten, director of Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in Cleveland.

"That tells me that in the early portion of Election Day there is a high degree of voter participation. Normally in an odd-year municipal election we see a voter turnout of about 1 percent."

The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections also is seeing a high return of absentee ballots, Platten said. The office received about 148,000 absentee ballot requests and expects to receive about 130,000 returned today.

"I'm happy with that number," said Platten. "I thought it would be lower because we weren't mailing out applications for absentee ballots to every voter as we have been in the past."

Patch writer Peter Strozniak contributed to this report.

The polls are open until 7:30 p.m.