COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tens of thousands of Northeast Ohio voters will have to cast their ballot in a different location than their primaries, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
These are not last-minute changes, but for some voters, it sure looks like it. If a voter didn't get a letter in the mail telling them that their polling location was moved, they may have just found out a few days before the Tuesday midterms.
Seven different cities in Cuyahoga County, which is 29 precincts, have been changed ahead of the election. This will impact more than 24,000 voters. It hadn't been publicized online by the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections (CCBOE) until four days before the election. There are changes to precincts in Berea, Cleveland, North Olmsted, Solon, South Euclid, University Heights and Warrensville Heights that were announced by the board of elections Friday afternoon.
RELATED: Polling locations change for 24,000 voters in 7 Cuyahoga County cities
"Unfortunately, there are changes to polling locations and we just do the best we can to get the word out," said Mike West, Manager of the Outreach Department for the CCBOE. "But these letters go out several months before the actual election."
These changes were mailed to voters in September and flyers were put up around local libraries in October, West added. He knew people may forget, so putting out this reminder so close to the election was purposeful.
"The timing is when people are starting to think about their actual voting plan, what time they're gonna vote, where they're gonna vote," he said.
Here is how you can double-check your voting location. Go to boe.cuyahogacounty.gov. Then, click on the tab at the top that says "voters." Depending on your screen, you will either scroll to the right or scroll down until you see a "voter resources" box. There will be a button that says "get your voting information." Fill out your name and birthday and you will get the updated location. If you do not use computers, or can't figure out the website, you can also call the phone number 216-443-8683 (VOTE) to find out.
If you live outside Cuyahoga County, you can head to the Ohio Secretary of State's voter information website at VoteOhio.gov.
"What we don't want is somebody going in the wrong place to vote, and then find they have to turn around and maybe they are pressed for time," West said. "The worst thing is somebody simply giving up and not voting."
As long as you get into the right location's voting line before 7:30 p.m., you will be able to cast your ballot. This goes for anyone, not just those who went to the wrong polling place.
These changes were not due to anything with security, West emphasized. There are remodeling projects, construction, some places aren't ADA compliant or a myriad of other issues, he said.
"We wish we could set up our polling locations and never change them because that would save us a lot of trouble and eliminate any confusion where people should vote," he said.
RELATED: Election leaders look to make voters aware of election myths ahead of next week's election
Remember, you will need a valid ID to vote. This includes your Ohio driver's license, a military ID or a printed-out utility bill with your name and address on it.
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Want to learn what district you're in and which candidates you can vote for? News 5 is here to help. We created a 2022 midterm elections guide,which is updated daily based on the changing candidacies.
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