Tuesday, November 5 is Election Day!
This election season, voters have the opportunity to impact policy nationally, state-wide, and locally.
The upcoming Presidential Election may be the most discussed, but it isn’t the only item on the ballot this November 5. Ohioans have the opportunity to vote for three seats on the Ohio Supreme Court, the State Senate Election, the House of Representatives, as well as a variety of issues and judicial races for Cuyahoga County residents, and more.
Join LMM in getting #voteready for November 5!
Know the Basics
Have questions before going to vote? Click the dropdown box below for your go-to information on voter identification info, free transportation to the polls, your polling location, voting resources for individuals who are unhoused, and more.
- Election Day Transportation
- Polling Locator
- Absentee Ballot
- Pull Up to the Polls Event
- Ohio Election Calendar
- Homeless Voting in Ohio – League of Women Voters
- Homeless Voting – Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless
Issue 1
Ohio voters will have the chance to vote on Issue 1, which proposes to eliminate politicians from being involved in decisions regarding redistricting. At the moment, Ohio politicians are creating the legislative maps that directly affect their election prospects. As reported by News 5 Cleveland, voting yes would establish a 15-member Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission (OCRC), composed of Democrat, Republican, and Independent citizens that represent the diverse demographics and regions of Ohio.
Issue 49
Cuyahoga County voters will have the ability to vote yes or no on the Cleveland Metropolitan School District Tax Levy, which will appear as Issue 49. According to Cleveland VOTES, this levy proposes an annual property tax increase of approximately $300 per $100,000 of property value for the next ten years. The additional funding is planned to go towards improving academic programs, school equity, security, and career readiness.
Issue 55
The Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Tax Levy will be on the ballot for Cuyahoga County residents as Issue 55. This would raise the cigarette tax that funds Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) from 1.5 cents to 3.5 cents per cigarette.
The expected benefits of the tax levy include reduced air pollution, improved public health, and enhanced support for local arts and culture programming. However, a study titled “Socioeconomic Differences in Cigarette Smoking Among Sociodemographic Groups” indicates that regular smokers most often consist of the economically disadvantaged. Consequently, this tax may place an additional financial burden on individuals living below the poverty line.
Ohio Supreme Court
Ohio voters will elect three seats on the State’s Supreme Court. The candidates consist of Lisa Forbes (D) v. Dan Hawkins (R), Melody Stewart (D) v. Joseph Deters (R), and Michael P. Donnelly (D) v. Megan E. Shanahan (R). According to Ballotpedia, the court currently holds a 4-3 Republican majority. If all three Democrats win, they would achieve a 4-3 majority. Conversely, if all three Republicans win, they will strengthen their majority to 6-1.
Ohio House of Representatives
Ohioans will also have the opportunity to elect representatives at both the state and national levels. All 99 districts in Ohio will hold elections for seats in the Ohio House of Representatives, with each district electing one representative. In addition, voting for 15 U.S. House of Representatives seats representing Ohio will be on the ballot.
Ohio U.S. Senate
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) will be facing off against Bernie Moreno (R) in the U.S. Senate election for the state of Ohio. Brown was initially elected to the senate in 2006 and last won re-election in 2018 and has an established political career even beyond that. Information from Ballotpedia indicates that Moreno is a businessman with experience in the auto dealership industry and has also started a blockchain business.
Presidential Race
Voters have the opportunity to participate in the 60th Presidential Election in the history of the United States on November. Kamala Harris (D) and her running mate, Tim Walz (D), will be facing Donald Trump (R) and J.D. Vance (R) for the positions of President and Vice-President, with the winners set to be sworn into office January 20, 2025.
Cuyahoga County Judicial Races
In addition to these ballot initiatives there are six Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judicial races in play. Judges have the ability to promote equity and fairness in the criminal justice system and thus can have a tremendous impact on individual lives.
Unfortunately, a 2014 survey conducted by the Ohio Fair Courts Alliance found that 63% of Ohio voters didn’t vote for judges because they didn’t know enough about the candidates.
To learn more about the judicial races in your district, The Marshall Project and Signal Cleveland compiled a primer on Cuyahoga County judicial candidates. The site Judge4Yourself also offers independent, non-partisan reviews of candidates on discrete criteria.
Stay in the Loop
Have additional questions? Contact LMM’s Office of Advocacy. In the meantime, for any election updates, subscribe to LMM’s e-newsletter.
Happy voting, Ohio!
