Election Day 2025 has arrived. Follow the election from polls opening to Summit County results

Good evening!

Voting in Summit County has gone fairly smoothly today with the exception of a short-lived issue with a computer system verifying some voter signatures. Those voters were asked to complete provisional ballots.

The signature verification issue has since been resolved, said Pete Zeigler, deputy director for the Summit County Board of Elections.

If you haven’t voted yet, it’s not too late. Polls are open until 7:30 p.m.

Polls in Ohio close at 7:30 p.m.

Results will take time to count.

The earliest results posted are usually made up of votes cast early at boards of election and votes cast by absentee ballots.

Votes cast today take longer to calculate, particularly if there’s a few precincts lagging behind others.

We’ll continue to update results and they trickle in.

NBC News is reporting what’s on voter’s minds in some states with high-profile races outside of Ohio.

Exit polls show, for example, show that New Jersey and Virginia voters have different priorities.

In New Jersey, taxes were the most important issue, noted by 36% of voters, followed by the economy at 34%. Of those, 42% said the economy “not so good,” followed by 26% who said the economy “pretty good, NBC reported.

In Virginia, nearly half of voters – 49% – said the economy was the most important issue, followed by healthcare being the second most important for 21%. Of those voters, 62% said they’re buying powers was holding steady, 24% were falling behind and 12% said they were getting ahead, NBC reported.

Exit polls also asked people in Virginia, New Jersey, New York City and California whether they approve or disapprove of President Donald J. Trump.

Trump was underwater across the board, NBC reported.

In Virginia, 31% approved of the president while 56% disapproved. 

In New Jersey, the gap was narrower: 43% approved of Trump while 55% disapproved.

New York City voters gave Trump, a former resident, the worst marks, with only 29% of voters approving, while 69% disapproved.

In California, where Trump began his aggressive immigration enforcement, 36% of voters approved of Trump, while 63% disapproved.

Republican Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio responded to similar exit poll data on CNN, saying there would only be one major takeaway from tonight’s election results: New York City’s embrace of mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

“They’re going to elect a socialist,” Jordan said.

Socialists advocate for a state takeover of the economy. Mamdani, however, is a democratic socialist. Democratic socialists operate within democratic structure to implement policies like universal healthcare to create a more equitable society.

Jordan told CNN he visited Russia for a sports’ competition and noticed there was no bread on the grocery shelves, saying that’s what socialism brings.

Russia is not a socialist country. It’s an authoritarian political system where power is concentrated in the hands of President Vladimir Putin. 

A local school board candidate who routinely works at the polls on election day in Bulter County was asked to leave today.

Under Ohio law, candidates for office can work the polls, but not at polling sites where people may be voting for or against them.

It wasn’t immediately clear who raised the issue about Thomas Heisler, who is running for Talawanda school board near Oxford, working at a local poll. He did not immediately return a reporter’s call.

The Butler County Board of Elections issued a statement saying the incident is under review and “corrective actions are being implemented.”

−The Cincinnati Enquirer

Signature verification issues at Akron polling locations resolved

A small number of polling locations in Akron were having issues with the system verifying some voters’ signatures Tuesday morning, which resulted in workers asking these voters to complete provisional ballots.

The signature verification issue has been resolved, and no voters are being asked to fill out these ballots, Pete Zeigler, deputy director for the Summit County Board of Elections, confirmed.

“We’ve instructed our workers to compare [the signatures] to the paper poll books so if the signatures match, they can continue to vote with the regular ballots,” Zeigler said. “So this issue has been resolved in the short term and we are waiting to hear back from the vendor to get a database update to solve this issue entirely.”

“At this point there should be no more provisional ballots except for those voters who have to vote provisional for other reasons,” he said.

-Anthony Thompson

You can help us cover the election

If you see something interesting or newsworthy while casting your ballot, please email us at bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. To make sure your email is seen quickly, please include the phrase “Election Day news tip” in the subject line of the email. Please also include a phone number where you can be reached, along with the polling location and a brief description of what you saw or experienced.

Some Summit County voters have new polling place for the Nov. 4 general election

Ahead of the upcoming general election, the Summit County Board of Elections announced several more changes to polling places.

Is yours on the list? Check here.

Where do I vote? How to find your polling location

Registered voters can find their correct polling location for the Nov. 4 general election by visiting the Board of Elections website here.