Election night at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections
The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections invites the public to an educational tour and demonstration of what happens behind the scenes on election nights.
During the event, attendees will be walked through a tour of the Board’s warehouse to see what happens after the polls close, how equipment is unloaded, sorted, and processed, view the tabulation room and more. This is an exclusive opportunity to get a firsthand look at election administration.
We are partnering with Cuyahoga County Public Library on an event series to debunk the most common election and voting myths.
Join us as we shine light on the persistent myths that have plagued voter education for decades. Get the facts about voting and learn what happens behind-the-scenes on Election Day. Topics will include election security, provisional and Vote-by-Mail ballots, how votes are counted, and more.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to complete Vote-by-Mail ballot applications and update their voter registration in advance of the 2020 Presidential Primary Election, which will be held on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.
Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public.
Cheers to 2020! The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is welcoming the new year and decade with a new look. This includes a brand new logo, building renovations and updated website. Oh, and let’s not forget the continued roll-out of Ohio’s new “I Voted” sticker – priorities, right?!
Logo and Colors The three-striped flag logo has served us well with over a decade of service to the Board of Elections. “Saying goodbye to our flag and stars logo is bittersweet. I remember when it first made its debut,” said Shantiel Soeder, Deputy Director of the Board of Elections. “We are excited to welcome a monumental election year and new decade. With so many positive enhancements on the horizon, now is the perfect time to refresh the CCBOE brand.”
The logo features:
More modern fonts and colors
VOTE call to action
Blue and red colors to highlight our dedication to bipartisanship in election administration
The outline of Ohio appears in the “O” of “VOTE.” Cuyahoga County is marked with a star.
Early In-Person Voting – So long, Pink Room Each year, early in-person voting becomes more and more popular. Especially with high voter turnout expected during this presidential election year, changes needed to occur in order to comfortably accommodate all of our voters for early in-person voting at our main building.
If you’ve been to our building for voting in the past, you
may recall it taking place in what we referred to as “The Pink Room.” This outdated
space, along with our entire first floor, has been gutted to make way for a
huge, open space. The changes will provide not only an updated façade (so long,
pink floors!), but will accommodate more voting booths and a larger accessible
area for voter assistance
The renovations will be completed in early February, just in time for Early In-Person Voting for the March Primary Election.
Website Our team is working on an entirely new website design. This has been in the works for many months, as we are thoughtfully considering the needs of voters, candidates, and all who visit our website for information. This is an ongoing project throughout 2020.
“I Voted” Sticker Technically the new Ohio “I Voted” sticker made its debut in 2019, but many of our voters will snag theirs for the first time during 2020 elections.
Looking Ahead This year is also a year of big decision-making. We are in the process of selecting new election equipment and tabulation systems after the passing of Ohio Senate Bill 135 in April of 2018, which allocated funding to all 88 Ohio counties for the purchase of voting systems. We expect to make a final decision in 2020 and begin implementation for elections in 2021. Follow along with our acquisition journey here.
2020 Elections March 17, 2020 – Primary Election (Presidential) August 4, 2020 – Special Election, if needed November 3, 2020 – General Election (Presidential)
Attorneys can earn four general Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits and serve their community all at once by volunteering to work the polls on Election Day!
Here’s how it works:
Attorneys are trained to become Precinct Election Officials, receiving special instruction for election protection.
Attorneys will be placed at polling locations on Election Day that have historically experienced some issues.
Attorneys receive four CLE credits AND are paid a stipend for working the polls.
There is no cost to enroll. This course has been approved by the Ohio Supreme Court for four (4) general CLE credits.
Attorneys must commit to serve as Precinct Election Officials (poll workers) for the March 17, 2020 Primary Election in order to participate in this training. Workers are paid the normal salary for Election Officials in addition to receiving the CLE credits.
Attorneys may choose from two training classes, which will
take place at the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association on the following
dates:
Thursday, January 30 from 2:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 20 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Registration is required. To register or learn more, contact Roseanne Maloney at 216-443-3232 ext. 7218 or rmaloney@cuyahogacounty.us.
Attorneys attend the first training session on January 30, 2020
The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is thoughtfully purchasing new election equipment over the next year. One of many factors that will influence our decision is how well the new equipment will be able to serve persons with disabilities and the ADA community. To assist our decision making, we invited community partners, advocates, and persons with disabilities to try out the options. Three equipment vendors demonstrated their products during an open house event on January 10 at our warehouse.
During the event, guests participated in a mock election simulating the Early In-Person Voting process. They were able to try out election equipment from all three vendors, including ballot optical scanners and ADA ballot-marking devices. After visiting each vendor, guests were invited to share their feedback with a survey. About 40 people participated in the event.
Our team will carefully review the feedback gathered over the coming days and months as we move closer to a decision. Another demonstration event will be open to the public later this year. We expect to make a final decision in 2020 and begin implementation for elections in 2021.
Join the excitement of being part of the Presidential Election Year! The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections has a wide variety of job openings with no experience required and we offer work for people of all skill levels. While great computer skills are certainly appreciated, they are absolutely NOT required! Bilingual applicants are also in demand.
About the Jobs As you might imagine, the Board is hiring Precinct Election Officials (Poll Workers) for Election Day-only work. But there’s more! We are also hiring for longer-term assignments such as assisting nursing home voters, processing absentee ballots – opening and counting them, telephone operators, data entry and performing many other tasks. Although the 2020 Primary Election is not until March, several assignments will be starting as soon as January, just in time to help with those holiday bills.
Workers will be placed in positions that are a good fit with their skills and schedule. The Board is taking applications now. You can’t be hired until you apply! You may apply by calling 216-443-6600 or online at www.443VOTE.us.
Job Fair: January 6, 2020 We are hosting a job fair to fill more than 4,000 open positions for Election Day and more than 300 open positions for full-time temporary clerks. Precinct Election Officials (Poll Workers) earn $172.10 and clerks are paid $11.50 per hour for assignments that can last several weeks or months.
When: Monday, January 6, 2020
Location: The Cuyahoga County Garage, 2501 Harvard Avenue, Newburgh Heights, Ohio 44105 (map)
Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Have Questions? Call 216-443-6600.
No registration required!
People don’t have to wait for the job fair to apply for work. The Board is taking applications now. They may apply by calling 216-443-6600 or online at www.443VOTE.us.
Author: Mike West, Community Outreach Manager, Cuyahoga County Board of Elections
This Thanksgiving and always, we are thankful for all who help us conduct safe, secure and efficient elections! Our election officials, community partners, vendors, temporary workers, staff and voters. Happy Thanksgiving! ✨🍂❤️
Note: We will be closed Thursday & Friday this week.
This November, voter turnout was around 26%. Why is turnout so low? On the flip side, what drives voter turnout? We may not have all the answers, but it’s worth talking about.
Earlier this week, our Director, Anthony Perlatti, joined All Voting is Local and the League of Women Voters to discuss voter turnout, election laws regarding early and absentee voting, the legal voting age, gerrymandering, poll workers, social media and more. This recording is worth a listen.
Get your new “I Voted” sticker by voting today in the November 5, 2019 General Election!
What’s on the ballot Voters have many important local issues to decide. Your ballot may include:
Candidates for municipal offices such as Mayor and City Council
Candidates for Board of Education Members
Candidates for Municipal Court Judges
Cuyahoga County Proposed Charter Amendment
Local issues and tax levies
Prepare before you go to vote by looking at your sample ballot ahead of time. Sample ballots are available on our website. Visit the “My Voting Info” page of our website to find your ballot.
Voting at the polls Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. All voters are encouraged to double-check their polling location because many locations have changed since last November. To look up your voting location, visit the “Where Do I Vote” page of our website.
Remember to bring ID with you to the polls. Acceptable forms of ID include:
A current and valid photo identification card (e.g., driver’s license or state ID)
A military identification
A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or another government document that shows the voter’s name and current address.
Returning vote-by-mail ballots If you have not yet mailed back your vote-by-mail ballot, it must be hand-delivered to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. tonight (Election Day). The postmark deadline was yesterday. There is a ballot drop box located in our parking lot for your convenience.
Note: The ballot CANNOT be returned to your polling location. However, if you prefer to vote at your polling location instead of returning your vote-by-mail ballot, you can choose to vote a provisional ballot.
Contact the Board of Elections hotline with any questions or concerns related to voting at 216-443-VOTE.
Congratulations to our community partners on an exciting and successful National Voter Registration Day (NVRD)! We had an extraordinary collaboration, and all together 2,481 people registered to vote as a result of our efforts. (This number includes 939 online registrations.) This far exceeded our goal and last year’s outcome of 1,850.
Each year, Cleveland VOTES and the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections organize a county-wide collaboration to register voters and increase awareness about upcoming elections. This year, more than 67 partner organizations and dozens of volunteers hosted more than 41 unique registration drives. Everything from lemonade stands, to phone banks, to online outreach and more!
If you are interested in joining the collaboration next year, please contact Cathy Goskey at cgoskey@cuyahogacounty.us or 216-443-6413.
