AKRON — Summit County voters are turning out early in large numbers in the final week before the November 3 general election, with at least 66,702 early ballots cast as of October 27, according to the absentee voting report on the Summit County Board of Elections website, as reported by the Akron Beacon Journal.
The Beacon Journal reported the breakdown from the board’s absentee report: 38,306 voters cast ballots by mail, 25,928 voted in person at the Early Vote Center at 1050 East Tallmadge Avenue in Akron, 736 voted curbside and 43 picked up ballots to take with them in what is known as a “hand carry.” Early voting opened October 6.
Lines have been long and the parking lot packed at the Tallmadge Avenue center, the Beacon Journal reported, though voters and poll workers described the process as steady and smooth. “It took a long time, but it was really smooth,” Akron voter Mae Wilson told the Akron Beacon Journal after voting on October 27. “People inside are very friendly,” her husband, Tom Wilson, told the Beacon Journal. “They make it very easy for you.”
The 2026 pace is running close to the last gubernatorial cycle. The board’s absentee dashboard showed 70,574 early voters in all of 2022 — 52,458 by mail and 17,346 in person — the Beacon Journal reported, while the presidential year of 2024 drew 113,381 early voters in Summit County, including 60,428 by mail and 48,676 in person.
Five days of early voting remain at the board office, which moved last year from its former Grant Street location to 1050 East Tallmadge Avenue. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 28 through Friday, October 30; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, October 31; and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, November 1, according to the Summit County Board of Elections schedule published in the Akron Beacon Journal’s voter guide. The center will not be open on Election Day.
Absentee ballots must now be received by the board by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, to be counted. Under Senate Bill 293, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in December 2025, the former four-day grace period after Election Day no longer applies, except for military and overseas voters, according to the Akron Beacon Journal’s voter guide. Voters can check their sample ballot through the Summit County Board of Elections and reach the board at 330-643-5200.
On Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, polls across Summit County will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters will decide statewide races including governor and U.S. Senate, along with local races and levies on their community ballots, and election officials are urging anyone who still holds a mail ballot to return it in person if time is short.