Area residents who didn’t vote early this year lined up outside polling stations across the region before they opened Tuesday morning to be among the first to their ballots in this presidential election.
Here are some stories from scenes across the Greater Akron area:
11:01 p.m. — Renacci now leading Sutton by about 9,000. — Stephanie Warsmith
10:53 p.m. — Tim Ryan holds onto his congressional seat, according to the Associated Press. — Stepahnie Warsmith
10:19 p.m. — Renacci now leading Sutton by about 5,000. He’s up in Wayne and Medina, while she’s up in Cuyahoga, Portage, Stark and Summit. — Stephanie Warsmith
9:27 p.m. — It took 1 hour and 15 minutes to vote in Ward 8 Akron on Shatto. Heaviest turnover seen there for any election. Barely found parking spot. — Ed Meyer
9:26 p.m. — Only voters still in line were at Ohio State U, about 20 people in a group that arrived near closing time — Rich Heldenfels
9:13 p.m. — U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs will keep his 7th District seat, AP is reporting. — Stephanie Warsmith
9:12 p.m. — Early results have U.S. Reps. Renacci and Sutton in a virtual tie, separated by only 900 votes, with Sutton still up. — Stephanie Warsmith
8:42 p.m. — CBS News, after touting exit poll that had Ohio independents going for Romney, now touts that Ohio “leans Obama.” — Rich Heldenfels
8:13 p.m. — With just absentees in: Sutton leads Renacci, Gibbs leads Healy-Abrams and Joyce leads Blanchard in Akron-area Congressional races. — Stephanie Warsmith
7:16 p.m. — Seventeen minutes before polls close, just got a robocall from John McCain. — Marla Ridenour
7:06 p.m. — Akron spokeswoman says there are long lines at First Baptist Church on Shatto and mayor is urging people to stay in line and vote. — Stephanie Warsmith
6:04 p.m. — Busiest I’ve ever seen at Mayfield Middle School in Mayfield Village. — George Thomas
5:50 p.m. — With all the reporters’ electronics, surge protector are plugged into surge protectors. Looks like the back of my TV stand at home. — Rich Heldenfels
5:29 p.m. — Renacci spokesman says there’s a four-hour line in Rocky River, a GOP stronghold in Cuyahoga County. “That was encouraging,” he says. — Stephanie Warsmith
4:55 p.m. — Even illness can’t stop voters. Eighteen patients voted at Robinson Memorial Hospital today after ballots delivered by Portage County Elections Board. — Cheryl Powell
3:58 p.m. — TV trucks outside Democratic Party headquarters. Not yet 4 p.m. Folks like Bob Jones of WEWS and Tom Beres of WKYC were set up. — Rich Heldenfels
3:37 p.m. — Community of Believers polling place in Cuyahoga Falls was a bit crowded at 2:15, but not impossible. There was a 15-minute wait. — Bruce Winges
3:02 p.m. — I was No. 428 in Sagamore Hills Precinct E. Only one solicitor outside. Woman said Democrats on coffee run. — Marla Ridenour
2:33 p.m. — How important is Ohio today? Another motorcade on state Route 237 by Cleveland airport as I left Browns headquarters. No ambulance with this one. Much less crowded now at Eaton Estate clubhouse in Sagamore Hills than at 11:30 a.m. — Marla Ridenour
1:27 p.m. — Just voted at Green High library. Pretty busy, but it’s moving. — Ryan Lewis
12:20 p.m. — Acrimony between poll workers slows me down. One worker stole other worker’s chair! — Phil Trexler
12:10 p.m. — A woman who answered the phone at the Summit County Republican Party headquarters said they have received 10 or 12 calls from people who had concerns about voting today. They are forwarding the calls to the Board of Elections “when we can get though,” said the woman, who declined to give her name. — Kathy Antoniotti
12:05 p.m. — I have lived in Sagamore Hills for 13 years and have never seen cars parked on grass at Eaton Estate clubhouse on Election Day. — Marla Ridenour
Noon — At noon, my voting place on Shatto Avenue, Ward 8 on northwest side of town, was packed. Voters lined up to front door, nearly outside. Never seen turnout anywhere near this extent. Looks like record-setter to me. Tip for the unsuspecting: Know your Ward 8 precinct letter (G, H, I, etc.) before you vote on Shatto. If you don’t, there will be a line to get into a line! You must find your precinct in the first line, then get into the voting line for your specific precinct letter. People who already voted were walking out saying they waited for an hour and a half. It took me 1 hour, 15 minutes. Never took more than 10 to 15 minutes in any previous election. — Ed Meyer
11:59 a.m. — Breezed through voting at Case elementary in Akron. Ballot 319 in Precinct 8-J. Long line, though for 8-H. Friendly, helpful poll workers. — Joe Thomas
11:58 a.m. — Huge motorcade just went by on state Route 237 by Cleveland airport. Romney or Obama? Apparently it was Biden, had ambulance trailing. — Marla Ridenour
11:45 a.m. — Jim Shubert of Akron said he walked into the Summit County Democratic Party headquarters this morning and volunteered to work. He said he personally had taken calls from people whose polling places changed from places they had voted at for years and had no idea where they were to go to cast their ballots. He said he received a couple of complaints from Cuyahoga Falls voters that they had to wait for 40 minutes to vote and that three or four people just walked away without voting. Shubert said he received several complaints that people who brought their orange cards from the Board of Elections (voter notifications of change of address for polling place) to vote and were allowed to move to the front of the line in Akron’s Ward 8 at the Second Baptist Church. Shubert, who took the day off work to volunteer, works in the Information Technology Department at Progressive Insurance in Mayfield and jokingly said he regretted the decision to take the day off. “I’m working way harder here than I would be at work.” — Kathy Antoniotti
11:44 a.m. — A few-minute wait at Findley elementary school polls. Sky blue. Flag flying. — Jim Carney
11:39 a.m. — Bath Township voting update: Still no valets in sight. One former ABJ’er said it took an hour for her to vote. — Phil Trexler
11:37 a.m. — Findley elementary school in Akron, North Hill. Barely a wait at 11:15 a.m. 45-minute wait when polls opened. Two voluntary Democratic observers. — Katie Byard
11:34 a.m. — 20-minute wait at Green Precinct 3-D, twice that at 3-A. — Doug Oplinger
11:30 a.m. — Tina Merlitti, president of the Summit County League of Women Voters, is serving today as a poll observer at Callis Towers on Thornton Street in Akron. She said about 10 of the first 100 people who voted at the polling place this morning voted for president twice (filled in the circle then wrote the name in the write-in area of the ballot). The machine rejected the ballot and they were given new ballots. (Voters are permitted to have up to three ballots if there is a problem). Merlitti said a woman came in with an absentee ballot she had received in the mail and made a mistake on. She asked for another ballot and was sent to the Summit County Board of Elections (where she was supposed to turn it in today) to get the problem corrected. BOE personnel sent her back to the polling place and she was permitted to vote using a provisional ballot. Merlitti said she was unsure why the BOE refused to help the woman. “Bless her heart, she came back and stood in this line again, but I was a little shocked by the BOE.” Also, Merlitti noticed there is no information at old polling places telling voters what to do, not even a sign that tells them “We’ve moved. Call the BOE.” “I just think that’s wrong. The Board of Elections can make a better effort.” she said.
11:22 a.m. — Voting in Bath Township where there is no valet and about 70 people in front of me. I’m so voting early next year. — Phil Trexler
11-:11:30 a.m. — Revisited five of the seven polling sites scoped out at 8 a.m. Voting pace was higher at two, lower at two, same at one. — Joe Thomas
10:55 a.m. — Kim Zurz, deputy director of the Summit County Board of Elections, said a booth worker at Ahepa Park in Copley Township erroneously handed out only one page of a two-page ballot to the first 20 people in line this morning. Voting was shut down until the problem was corrected and all 20 people were able to vote, she said. The Copley police levy is on the second page of the ballot. “It’s hectic everywhere,” said Zurz. “It’s Election Day, it just goes with the territory.” — Kathy Antoniotti
10:45 a.m. — Valerie Wolford, city of Green director of communications, said she had ballot number 227 when she voted this morning at Green High School. It took her about a half an hour to vote. The lines for all precincts were about 20 people long while she was there. — Kathy Antoniotti
10:44 a.m. — Voting brisk at Woodland Preschool in Akron. Waited few minutes for a voting stall. Both parties handing out sample ballots in lot. — Stephanie Warsmith
10:25 a.m. — Akron City Councilman Marco Sommerville said he complained to the Summit County Board of Elections that there were not enough voting booths at St. John CME Church, where 1,400 voters are expected to vote. There are only nine booths he said, and the BOE is required to provide one booth for every 100 voters. “People are waiting in line two hours to vote,” he said. “This is the thing we tried to discuss with them, to wait until the next election to try this out. I got a call from (BOE director) Joe Masich last night. He called me up and said I was criticizing the board.” Sommerville also said he received complaints from people voting at Helen Arnold CLC, where 4,400 people are expected to vote today. They don’t have enough booths there, either, he said, although he didn’t know how many voting booths were available for voters. “This is clearly voter suppression. That’s what it is. Hopefully, people will stand in line a little longer and be patient.” — Kathy Antoniotti
10:25 a.m. — Complaint from reader that there were problems with the ballots and the first 25 people in line received the wrong ballots at Ahepa Park polling place on Ridgewood Road in Copley Township this morning and were unable to vote. — Kathy Antoniotti
10:24 a.m. — At Tallmadge Community Center, the wait for a voting machine is down to 20 minutes (from 45 minutes earlier this morning). — Colette Jenkins
10:22 a.m. — 44 minutes to vote in Fairlawn. Saw woman with kids wait 35 minutes, told wrong line. Left without voting. — Dave Scott
10:16 a.m. — In Rootstown Township, representatives of the Portage County Tea Party are passing out a “conservative” endorsed candidates ballot. — Colette Jenkins
10:00 a.m. — Voting in Green Precinct 3-D. About 25 people in line. Line for Precinct 3-A much longer, around 100 people. — Ron Ledgard
9 a.m. — A change in a polling location certainly didn’t baffle many folks in Copley Township. The new location for precincts D and E, Crossroads Alliance Church on Rothrock Road, was jam-packed at aboout 9 a.m. The parking lot was jammed, and at least 100 people were lined up. The line for D was considerably longer than the line for E, which required only about a 15-minute wait. — Bob Dyer
8:45 a.m. — At West Akron voting location at the temporary Litchfield school (formerly Perkins), there was about a 35-minute wait for precinct 4-E at 8:45 a.m., but just a few people in line for 4-C and 4-F. An election observer was there, circling the room slowly, or sitting next to the 4-E table watching the proceedings, but I didn’t see him speak to any voters. Outside were representatives of Obama/Biden, the Democratic Party, and Romney/Ryan. Lots of signs for the school levy. — Lynne Sherwin
8:35 a.m. — About a 30-40 minute wait at the polls in Cuyahoga Falls — not too bad! Could have used some more polling booths. Voter No. 104. — Betty Lin-Fisher
8:35 a.m. — It was a 50-minute wait to vote early today in northwest Akron at the First Baptist Church of Akron. The line extended from the gymnasium down the church hallway and out the door to the overflowing parking lot at 1670 Shatto Ave. Workers said the polling places in the church had a steady and heavy crush of voters. The lines were orderly and quiet with most people wondering how long the wait was going to be. — Bob Downing
8:40 a.m. — David Crook of the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office was at Helen Arnold school campaigning for his boss, Prosecutor Sherry Bevan Walsh. “People have been very receptive and more than nice,” he said. — Kathy Antoniotti
8:40 a.m. — Gretchen Feciuch, who said she is employed in Summit County, said a young woman who just celebrated her 18th birthday was so excited with her first opportunity to vote that she asked Feciuch to take her picture surrounded by volunteers holding up their pamphlets outside the Helen Arnold school. “She was super excited and said she was going to go post it on online and tell her friends to get out and vote,” she said. — Kathy Antoniotti
8:27 a.m. — Lori Whitson of Akron was at the Helen Arnold school wearing a yellow and black vest that read You Have the Right to Vote. Ask Me (sponsored by the) AFL-CIO. She said she was a volunteer with the Voter Protection Coalition. “We’re here to make sure every one knows what their rights are and to make sure things go smoothly for everyone,” she said. As they left the polling place, she asked them to fill out a survey about their voting experience with questions about the length of their wait to vote and the type of voter machine they used. “About one in three people stopped to fill it out,” she said. “A few people talked about how long the lines are and that they should have more voting booths. Whitson said she arrived at 6 a.m. and found 30-40 people waiting outside the building to get in. By 6:30, the line had increased to more than 50, she said. — Kathy Antoniotti
8:23 a.m. — Ann Griffith, a teacher at Helen Arnold CLC, was also asking for support for the Akron school levy and handing out new gloves to women who needed them. — Kathy Antoniotti
8:20 a.m. — Gillian Solem, member of Summit County Children Services Board was at the polling place asking for support for Issue 73, the renewal of the levy for Children Services. “We are also asking for support for Issue 61, (Akron schools levy.) Both are important to us.” — Kathy Antoniotti
8:20 a.m. — Voters are circling Helen Arnold Community Learning Center on Vernon Odom Boulevard in Akron looking for parking spots. — Kathy Antoniotti
8 a.m. — Pre-workday rush or pacesetter for the day? Packed parking lots, some overflowing, at seven West Akron polling places. — Joe Thomas
7:40 a.m. — Ron Hill of Barberton said he has voted at the YMCA’s Adult Center since it opened several years ago. He said the wait was not long and the line moved along decently. “They guided me to my precinct . . . no problems.” The scene inside was quiet and orderly, with signs directing people to help if they could not find their precinct. — Kathy Antoniotti
7:35 a.m. — Stacey Baird of Barberton said she used to vote on the city’s west side and this was the first time she voted downtown at the Barberton YMCA. — Kathy Antoniotti
7:30 a.m. — John McClelland of Barberton said he just moved to Barberton in March. He said he arrived at 7 a.m. and there were “really long lines,” but there was a ballot machine for each precinct and his line was the shortest. — Kathy Antoniotti
7:20 a.m. — Jackie Ashbaugh of Clinton stood outside of the Active Adult Center at the Barberton YMCA in Barberton handing out sample Republican ballots. “I got here at 6 a.m. and there were 30-40 people waiting outside the building to get in.” — Kathy Antoniotti
7 a.m. — Copley Township Trustee Helen Humphrys said there was a problem with ballots in Precinct B. About 25 people were there to vote at 7 a.m. and some had to leave without voting because a page was missing from their ballots. — Marilyn Miller
6:52 a.m. — There were lines for all four precincts at Grace United Christ in Lake Township. No problems were reported. — Rich Desrosiers
6:40 a.m. — Despite being eight minutes late opening doors, the line of voters really isn’t too long at Community of Christ Church in West Akron. A man in line waiting to vote realized his precinct’s polling location changed and has to go to another location. A woman with a toddler gets upset and leaves at 6:33 a.m. when doors still aren’t open, saying she has to get to work. — Stephanie Storm
6:40 a.m. — Rhonda Baxter said she arrived to vote at 6:10 a.m. at Presentation of Our Lord Orthodox Church in Fairlawn. “There was a lot of talking in there about why we got moved. I was really concerned because workers seemed a little frustrated with the process. One said ‘This is ridiculous. Make sure you get the ballots in the right precinct.’ ” — Kathy Antoniotti
6:30 a.m. — Akron City Councilman Russ Neal reported he voted at Perkins/Litchfield middle school at 6:30 a.m. “Everything seemed to be running smoothly there. Lines were moving pretty quickly.” Neal said it took him about an hour to vote. — Kathy Antoniotti
6:30 a.m. — About 100 people were lined up outside the Randolph Township Community and Senior Centers when the doors opened for business. The process was smooth and I was finished by 6:45 a.m. after being the 31st person in line for my precinct. There were a few people standing outside the township library holding signs supporting a home-rule issue on the ballot for community voters and the parking lot was full. — Darrin Werbeck
6:10 a.m. — Bob and Carol Schlabig of Fairlawn said they arrived at Presentation of Our Lord Orthodox Church in Fairlawn at 5:30 a.m. Carol Schlabig said she was fifth in line and there were as many as 100 people in line behind her when she finished casting her ballot at about 6:45 a.m. She said they were allowed to stand inside the church to get out of the cold — the temperature was about 30 degrees — until the polls opened. The Schlabigs had voted at a Lutheran church near Summit Mall, which also had voting today. Volunteers were outside both polling locations holding signs and offering sample Republican ballots to votes. — Kathy Antoniotti
