Cuyahoga County early voters stand in line to cast their ballots as they 'get it all over with'

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The early voting line wrapped around the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections building Thursday afternoon as Northeast Ohio residents waited about 45 minutes to cast their ballots.

As of Thursday afternoon, just over two million people across Ohio had voted early, with about 1.2 million of them casting their ballots in person at their local board of elections. More than 850,000 have returned their mail-in ballots by mail.

In Cuyahoga County, about 168,000 people have voted so far in the 2024 election — more than 45,000 of them in person — and there are still three days of early voting remaining.

Most of Ohio's 8 million registered voters still vote on Election Day, and in Cuyahoga County, more early voters chose to vote by mail than in person. But voters waiting in line at the board of elections on Thursday gave myriad reasons why they were willing to wait in line to cast their early votes.

Some are concerned about the postal service's ability to deliver their ballot on time. Others said they were unsure how long the lines would be at their polling place on Election Day. And while TV screens and social media feeds are bombarded with ads, some just wanted to get it over with.

Election 2024: An Ohio Guide to the November Elections

Parma resident Paul Belfi decided to vote early and in person because he said he wasn't entirely convinced by the electoral system.

“I want to make sure my vote is counted,” said the 58-year-old claims manager.

Belfi and his wife, Pam Rusk, are both voting for Republican Donald Trump for president and said their main concerns are the economy and immigration.

Both had already voted in early 2020 and noted that the line was much longer then and agreed that early voting was the best way to cast their vote.

“We came here last week but the line was way too long. We both had time today, so we decided to try again,” Belfi said. “I’m not a big fan of mail-in ballots.”

Retired couple Rebecca Maynard and Jeff Bailey expressed concerns about absentee voting due to problems with the postal service.

“There's only one place to vote in Berea and there's no early voting… And you never know what it's going to be like on Election Day, I thought today must be less crowded,” Bailey said.

Maynard, a 68-year-old former emergency room nurse, and Bailey, a 65-year-old former mechanical engineer, moved to Berea from Toledo this year. Both have voted early for the past 20 years and were eager to elect Kamala Harris as president.

“I thought we were going to be here for hours, but it happens pretty quickly,” Maynard said.

Voters waited in line for about 45 minutes to cast their ballots on Thursday.

Cleveland resident Shone Young was happy to see the line moving quickly when she decided to vote on her lunch break from her job as a lab technician in the city's Slavic Village neighborhood.

Young, 50, lives on the city's east side and said it was her first time voting early. She decided to come in person because she wanted to ask poll workers or other staff for clarification about voting registration.

“Every time I go to vote, they say, 'You're not registered here, you're not registered there.' And I’m tired of this and I don’t want to miss my chance to be elected,” she said. “I want to make sure I’m in the building in person.”

As a black woman, she said she was happy to vote for Kamala Harris.

“I would like to see a black woman as president for the first time ever. This will be great. I just hope she actually comes in and does her job,” she said.

Just ahead of Young in line, 46-year-old Nenad Bursac of North Royalton waited in line to vote for the first time ever on Thursday. He wore a “Make America Great Again” hat.

According to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office, campaign clothing, including “MAGA” hats, is prohibited around polling places. Mike West, spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, said a poll worker would likely ask Bursac to remove his hat when he reached the door of the building.

“I'm voting for the one and only Trump… I just want the country to be better, I guess. That's all I know; What it was like when he was president before. I think we'll see. Maybe he can do it again,” Bursac said.

Bursac, a car dealer, said he chose to vote in person early out of convenience and didn't know where else to vote. He said he feels safer voting in person.

“You see a lot of mail getting lost, fired, stuff like that. I want to make sure I make it personal,” he said.

Authorities are searching for a man who allegedly set fire to ballot drop boxes in Washington and Oregon.

Andre Tate, 35, lives in Cleveland and votes for Kamala Harris. He works for Amazon and cleans planes for United Airlines at the airport, but had Thursday off and decided to vote.

Tate said he has voted before, first voting in 2008. He finds the process efficient as the lines move quickly.

“Out, in, done. Get it out of the way,” he said.

The closest polling place to his home on the city's east side is a church, but he felt his ballot would be safer at the board of elections.

He chose to vote in person rather than by mail and emphasized the importance of voting as a person of color by expressing hope for change and supporting a Black woman for president.

Gian Fernandez, 30, moved to Northeast Ohio in 2022 to seek better gender-equitable health care. He now lives with his fiancée in Cleveland Heights. As a transgender man, he said he can't wait to vote early for Kamala Harris, who he said cares more about LGBTQ+ people and their freedom.

He also said he was tired of political advertising and had to work on Election Day.

“I’m basically an outrage vote,” he said. “I always voted on election day. But I want to get it all over with.”

Early in-person voting will continue through Sunday, but hours will change over the weekend and as Election Day approaches. There will be no in-person early voting on the Monday before Election Day. The remaining in-person early voting times are:

November 1st: 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m

November 2nd: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m

November 3rd: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m

Polling stations will be open on election day from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. If you wait in line before the polls close on November 5 or during early voting, you can still vote as long as you stay in line.