AKRON, Ohio — Voters across Ohio will head to the polls Tuesday to decide issues and choose candidates in the May primary election. In Summit County, voters should be aware of changes in elections, both locally and at the state level.

What You Need To Know

  • Ohio voters will head to the polls to vote on issues and candidates in the May primary election

  • Summit County polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 2

  • This election, Ohio voters must show a valid photo ID to be able to vote

  • Summit County voters should check their polling location because the BOE redrew precinct maps last year

In Summit County, the polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 2 at polling sites around the county. 

Voters can still vote in-person absentee this weekend, but only at the Summit County Board of Elections office, 500 Grant St. in Akron at the following times:

  • 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 29
  • 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 30 

Among the changes that begin with this election is a new rule stipulating Ohio voters have a valid photo ID on hand when they arrive at their polling location.  

Types of ID that are acceptable include a driver’s license, a state-issed ID, a U.S. passport, a U.S. military card and others, but IDs are not valid if they are expired, according to Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s website.

And state-authorized veterans cards will not be accepted under Ohio's new law, officials said.

Voters also should make sure they are still registered to vote in Ohio. 

Last February, the state purged 125,000 voters from the roles because of inactivity and failure to respond to notices from the state. 

To find out if you are still registered, check the Ohio Registration Readiness website.

Summit County voters also should double check their precinct and polling location. That’s because last December, the Summit County BOE redrew the county’s precinct maps reducing the number of precincts by 50 to 371, the BOE said.

On its website, the BOE attributes the reduction in precincts to “multiple city ward and County Council boundary changes for the 2023 and 2024 elections.”

In late March, the BOE sent mailers to registered voters notifying them that precincts and polling locations had changed for some but not all voters.

To find the correct polling location, voters can search the BOE website by street address and view the new precinct maps for cities, villages and townships.

The BOE also offers a tool that allows voters multiple ways to find precinct and polling data using filters such as congressional district, city ward, school district and others.

Voters also can search by precinct, polling location or district to access charts, maps and downloadable files.

For information on issues and candidates, voters can visit the 2023 Summit County Voter Guide. Voters can read about and compare candidates, some of whom responded to a set of questions in their own words. 

They also can read about proposed municipal levies, renewals and increases, to learn how much the taxes would cost homeowners based on appraised values.

The Summit County guide is developed each year by the League of Women Voters of Akron and Hudson in partnership with the Akron Beacon Journal, with funding from the Knight Foundation. 

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