Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Suspect arrested in killing of soldier in Akron
Tallmadge man dies after motorcycle crash
Passers-by call police over topless gardener
Wadsworth police chief not interested in desk job
Akron police arrest suspect in Iraq war veteran's killing
Teen accused of drinking, dancing topless in club
Quake leaves area travelers high and dry
Falls considers spending $195,000 on Portage Trail design plans
Blogs:
Akron Docs in Haiti:
Almost home
First Bell - On Education:
21st Century Skills and Akron’s new middle school
Pets:
Lost Mini Schnauzer around Cascade Valley Park
The Heldenfiles:
Fess Parker, R.I.P.
Akron Zips:
Is it time to go after transfers?
Tribe Matters:
Wood sidelined at least six weeks
Cleveland Browns:
Yates latest to re-sign
Balanced Ledger:
How times have changed?
Kent State Sports:
Kent State @ Illinois – NIT notebook
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Chicago Bulls (Green Mascot and All)
Buckeye Blogging:
Bucks High Seed – Turner High Praise
Varsity Letters:
Jackson advances to Division I state semifinal
All Da King's Men:
ObamaCare To Reduce Premiums By 3000% ?
Blog of Mass Destruction:
The Bigotry Of The Baggers
Akron Law Café:
More on Shaming Corporate Criminals
Car Chase:
2010 CONCOURS SEASON IS UPON US
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Deals in Miami?!.
Sound Check:
Willie Nelson & Family coming to the Akron Civic Theatre May 11
See Jane Style:
Who Wore What – The Oscars
HRLite House:
Horses of Courses
Akron Gamer:
Video: Gamers expected to 'reach' for new 'Halo'
By Katie Byard, Jewell Cardwell and Colette Jenkins
POSTED: 10:28 a.m. EST, Mar 04, 2008
Area elections boards officials reported minor glitches, but no major problems as voters cast ballots in today's primary election.
``Voting has been strong and steady,'' said Summit County Board of Elections Director Bryan Williams around 1 p.m.
He had received reports of several polling places with waits of 30 minutes or more. ``But at the vast majority of precincts there is no wait at all,'' Williams said.
Some areas outside polling places were getting icy, he said. Poll workers were asked to make sure sidewalks were clear, Williams said.Earlier today, Williams was relieved the weather, while rainy, was not as foul as some had predicted.
''It was wet, not icy'' in many locales in the early morning and there were few absentee poll workers, he said.
At four polling places, vote-holding memory cards had not been properly installed.
But that didn't slow up voting, Williams said. Ballots were issued and put in a locked area, he said.
Williams said he had not received any reports of polling places not opening on time.
In Stark County, at least one polling place opened late, officials said.
Voting at Christ United Methodist Church at 3500 Cleveland Ave. N.W. was delayed about 30 minutes -- until about 7 a.m. -- after a church worker failed to show up to unlock a door.
Stark County Board of Elections Deputy Director Jeanette Mullane said she had heard that the person responsible for opening the building ‘‘ended up in the hospital overnight.’’
She said paper ballots were handed out about 7 a.m. and the voting machines were in operation by about 7:20 a.m.
Mullane said another issue this morning involved voters asking for a ballot for independent voters.
Such ballots do not exist and the voters received issues-only ballots and were unable to vote on candidates.
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has said she expects a larger than usual turnout statewide -- about 52 percent.
Williams said he thinks Summit ''will fall in line with that.''
In Medina County, all polling sites opened on time and no complaints of long lines had been received, Medina Elections Board Deputy Director Janet Pilat said this afternoon.
``Who knows what it will be like at 7 o'clock? But right now everything is going fine,'' she said.
A few voters had asked for both a Democratic ballot and a Republican ballot, she said.
``When we explain it's one or the other, they feel like they're being disenfranchised,'' she said.
Portage County Elections Board Deputy Director Glenda Enders said, ``We've been getting a lot of phone calls today. The volume of calls is more like a general election.''
Enders said the calls were mostly from people checking to see if they were registered and asking for locations of polling places.
In Cuyahoga County, voting was going fairly smoothly, with all polling places opening on time, said Mike West, a spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
West did acknowledge a few hiccups.
He said some voters were confused about stubs on ballots that said ``Do Not Remove.''
All votes were being counted, West said, and poll workers were being told to leave the stubs on the ballots.
``That seemed to neutralize any confusion,'' West said. ``The stubs will be removed later as part of the processing.''
At Buchtel High School in West Akron, early-morning voting was steady, said Kenneth G. Slack, who cast his ballot before 7:30 a.m.
''There's a line, but it's moving,'' said Slack, 50, the owner of a beauty salon.
James A. Crawford, 61, said lines at the Buchtel polling site prompted some to leave before voting.
''They turned around and left,'' said Crawford, who is a retired factory worker.
In Cuyahoga Falls, Tracey Mobley, 42, said she ''was really concerned'' that a threatened ice storm would materialize, making it difficult to get to the polls.
While it was raining and ''a little slippery,'' the roads were not that bad, she said.
At North High School in Akron, parents Cyndi Stover, Stacy Houston and Joe Vitrano were selling coffee and baked goods to voters.
They are members of a new parent organization -- formed after five years without one, they said.
''We want to give them a little caffeine and sugar'' to help them wake up, Houston said.
Brian Eckley, 31, walking across a North High School parking lot, on his way to vote, said he was still undecided on issues and candidates.
''I'm going to toss a coin,'' he said.
Brunner took court action today in several southern Ohio counties affected by flooding to permit voters whose voting locations were moved to cast provisional ballots.
Metro bus system's sales-tax hike survives ballot
Pry to face Laria for executive
Clinton wins Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island, vows campaign goes on
Kucinich wins Democratic primary
Result of GOP battle in Summit County unclear
Ohio gives Clinton's campaign big reason to persevere
Clinton revives, McCain clinches
Area elections boards officials reported minor glitches, but no major problems as voters cast ballots in today's primary election.
``Voting has been strong and steady,'' said Summit County Board of Elections Director Bryan Williams around 1 p.m.
He had received reports of several polling places with waits of 30 minutes or more. ``But at the vast majority of precincts there is no wait at all,'' Williams said.
Some areas outside polling places were getting icy, he said. Poll workers were asked to make sure sidewalks were clear, Williams said.
Earlier today, Williams was relieved the weather, while rainy, was not as foul as some had predicted.
''It was wet, not icy'' in many locales in the early morning and there were few absentee poll workers, he said.
At four polling places, vote-holding memory cards had not been properly installed.
But that didn't slow up voting, Williams said. Ballots were issued and put in a locked area, he said.
Williams said he had not received any reports of polling places not opening on time.
In Stark County, at least one polling place opened late, officials said.
Voting at Christ United Methodist Church at 3500 Cleveland Ave. N.W. was delayed about 30 minutes -- until about 7 a.m. -- after a church worker failed to show up to unlock a door.
Stark County Board of Elections Deputy Director Jeanette Mullane said she had heard that the person responsible for opening the building ‘‘ended up in the hospital overnight.’’
She said paper ballots were handed out about 7 a.m. and the voting machines were in operation by about 7:20 a.m.
Mullane said another issue this morning involved voters asking for a ballot for independent voters.
Such ballots do not exist and the voters received issues-only ballots and were unable to vote on candidates.
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has said she expects a larger than usual turnout statewide -- about 52 percent.
Williams said he thinks Summit ''will fall in line with that.''
In Medina County, all polling sites opened on time and no complaints of long lines had been received, Medina Elections Board Deputy Director Janet Pilat said this afternoon.
``Who knows what it will be like at 7 o'clock? But right now everything is going fine,'' she said.
A few voters had asked for both a Democratic ballot and a Republican ballot, she said.
``When we explain it's one or the other, they feel like they're being disenfranchised,'' she said.
Portage County Elections Board Deputy Director Glenda Enders said, ``We've been getting a lot of phone calls today. The volume of calls is more like a general election.''
Enders said the calls were mostly from people checking to see if they were registered and asking for locations of polling places.
In Cuyahoga County, voting was going fairly smoothly, with all polling places opening on time, said Mike West, a spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
West did acknowledge a few hiccups.
He said some voters were confused about stubs on ballots that said ``Do Not Remove.''
All votes were being counted, West said, and poll workers were being told to leave the stubs on the ballots.
``That seemed to neutralize any confusion,'' West said. ``The stubs will be removed later as part of the processing.''
At Buchtel High School in West Akron, early-morning voting was steady, said Kenneth G. Slack, who cast his ballot before 7:30 a.m.
''There's a line, but it's moving,'' said Slack, 50, the owner of a beauty salon.
James A. Crawford, 61, said lines at the Buchtel polling site prompted some to leave before voting.
''They turned around and left,'' said Crawford, who is a retired factory worker.
In Cuyahoga Falls, Tracey Mobley, 42, said she ''was really concerned'' that a threatened ice storm would materialize, making it difficult to get to the polls.
While it was raining and ''a little slippery,'' the roads were not that bad, she said.
At North High School in Akron, parents Cyndi Stover, Stacy Houston and Joe Vitrano were selling coffee and baked goods to voters.
They are members of a new parent organization -- formed after five years without one, they said.
''We want to give them a little caffeine and sugar'' to help them wake up, Houston said.
Brian Eckley, 31, walking across a North High School parking lot, on his way to vote, said he was still undecided on issues and candidates.
''I'm going to toss a coin,'' he said.
Brunner took court action today in several southern Ohio counties affected by flooding to permit voters whose voting locations were moved to cast provisional ballots.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
