CLEVELAND — Tuesday marked the start of early voting in the Aug. 8 special election. Unlike the long early voting lines seen during presidential and midterm elections, just 16 people were waiting as the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections opened its doors at 8 a.m.
First in line, though, was Richard Talbott of Cleveland. In what's expected to be a low-turnout election, he knows the impact of his one vote is all that much greater. His message to everyone watching is don't be distracted, read the ballot question, decide where you stand and vote.
"I'm gonna be blunt with you now," Talbott said. "We hear a lot of things on TV, we really don't get a full understanding of what they talking about but if you come down and read the issue and get full understanding, then yes, you come, and you make your vote count."
That's what brought Neal O'Donnell of Cleveland out. "We don't have that many rights left, so let's protect the few that we have," the retired Cleveland Police Captain said. He is a no on Issue 1. "To participate in democracy, we as voters and as citizens have to have some input into that effort."
Issue 1 would raise the threshold for amending the state constitution from a simple majority vote of the people, 50 percent plus 1 up to 60 percent, while at the same time requiring those signatures to put a question on the ballot be gathered from all of Ohio's 88 counties as opposed to the current requirement of 44. Something supporters of the issue argue makes it harder, yes, but also fairer.
"We can't have a situation where big counties or small counties by themselves can do things," said Ohio GOP Chair Alex Triantafilou. "We know the interests of a rural county are very different than the interests of Cleveland or Cincinnati and Columbus."
Triantafilou is helping to lead the fight for Issue 1, which he argues protects Ohio's constitution.
"We should not have our foundational document, the document that we build upon for the rest of our state government, so easily amended by special interest groups of every kind," he said.
Faith Leaders from Greater Cleveland Congregations gathered outside the Board of Elections, arguing Issue 1 undermines the basic principle of one person, one vote.
"When the people have to have a supermajority and politicians need only a simple majority," said Rev. Lisa Maxine Goods, Senior Pastor at Shiloh Baptist Church. "This is not democracy. This is not equality."
Hours for early voting at the state's 88 Boards of Election are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through July 28, with expanded hours in the final week.
Those looking to vote by mail can pick up or download an application for a ballot here. In Cuyahoga County, 27,872 voters had requested a ballot through Monday. That's 3.2% of voters. 18,527, or 10.2% of Democrats, have requested to vote early by mail. 4,831 or 6% of Republicans and 4,507 or .7% of the county's largest voting block, non-partisans.
