2026 Midterm Elections ‘going smoothly’ in Cuyahoga County, officials say

The weather was lovely, federal agents went unseen and voter turnout soared in Cuyahoga County in the general election that wrapped up today.

Among the county’s 877,984 registered voters, at least 478,023 or 54 percent participated today, by mail through Saturday, or early in person. That percentage dwarfed those of recent midterm elections, including the 47 percent of 2022. This year’s figure does not include mail ballots returned after Saturday and before today’s 7:30 p.m. deadline.

Board spokesman Mike West said the election was going smoothly. The biggest known problems were the usual malfunctions of a few ballot scanners and the brief removal of political signs outside the Beachwood Community Center.

Federal officials had not consistently ruled out sending FBI or ICE agents to the polls today. West said none were reported in Cuyahoga County. Outside the Warrensville Heights branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cuyahoga County Deputy Sheriff Ricardo Caraballo said he’d surveyed 10 polling places this morning and found no federal agents or any other threats.

Coming in the middle of President Donald Trump’s current term, the election features contests in Ohio for a U.S. Senator, governor, other statewide offices, state lawmakers, Cuyahoga judges, and local, county and state issues.

Polls opened at 6:30 a.m. today. By 7:30 p.m., all mail ballots must be received at the elections board, 1803 Superior Ave., and all people planning to vote today must be lined up at their polling place.

This morning, Beachwood workers mistakenly removed political signs at least 100 feet from the polls outside the city’s community center, according to Ben Lombardi, Beachwood’s communications manager. After a complaint, the workers replaced the signs.

Depending on the time and place, Cuyahoga County residents said it took them anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour to vote. That includes the time to fill out this year’s particularly long ballots, three to four double-sided pages.

Today’s voters said they enjoy the ritual, the sense of community and the personal reassurance of putting their ballots in the scanners at their polls. “I’ve always liked the energy on Election Day,” said Sarah Coleman at Harding Middle School in Lakewood.

Ollie Cooperwood at East Tech High School said he avoids mail ballots. “They could throw them right in the garbage.”

Craig Brown was the first person to vote today at Luis Muñoz Marín Middle School, on Cleveland’s West Side . “I’m glad that all the commercials and text messages are finally stopping and all the bashing of each other,” he said. “I’d rather hear what they’re going to do for the people than what somebody did in high school.”

Voters extolled the weather. At 2 p.m. at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, it was mostly sunny and 76 degrees Fahrenheit, 3 degrees below the highest temperature ever recorded on this date there.

Cuyahoga voters cast 315,206 ballots today, dwarfing the 251,671 votes on Election Day of November 2022. They also submitted 106,419 mail ballots through Saturday, compared to 133,357 in all of the 2022 election. Through Sunday, the last day allowed, 54,118 people voted early at the elections board this time, 2.7 times more than the 19,918 of 2022.

In Trump’s two years back in office, he has issued several executive orders to heighten restrictions on voting and intercede in state and local administration of elections. Most efforts have been blocked by the courts or Congress. Some voters were nervous about their ballots counting on Election Day.

Tricia Boland at the American Legion hall in Fairview Park said, “They’re going to pull some s—, I’m sure.”

However, several voters said they were confident their votes would be counted and the winners allowed to take office. “I’m not worried,” said Zenaiza Pena at Munoz Marin. “It’s my right.”

Either way, voters said they could only do their part and hope for the best. “My grandfather would rise from the grave and haunt me if I didn’t vote,” said Stephanie Bullock at Zone Recreation Center.

Voters trusted and praised local elections workers. As for federal leaders, “They always change the games they want to play, but you gotta try,” said Cathy Figueroa at Munoz Marin. “My daughter’s in the Air Force. They’re out there fighting and dying for the right [to vote].”

At Zone, Aaron Muttillo said, “I’m going to have faith and hope. I still believe in democracy.”