Portage County voters are in the final stretch of early voting for the Nov. 3 general election, with in-person voting continuing Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Portage County Board of Elections, 449 S. Meridian St. in Ravenna, according to the board. Early voting ends Sunday, Nov. 1, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and there is no early voting on Monday, Nov. 2.
The board reminds voters that the deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail was Oct. 27, and that a voted absentee ballot must be received by the board no later than 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3, to be counted. On Election Day itself, polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and voters must go to their assigned polling place rather than the board office, the board said.
The most closely watched countywide race is for a seat on the Portage County Board of Commissioners. Republican incumbent Mike Tinlin is challenged by Democrat Jenny Adams, according to reporting by The Portager and the Record-Courier. The board is currently made up of three Republicans, and the winner will take the seat for a term beginning Jan. 1, 2027.
Tinlin had a career in the safety forces before becoming a commissioner, including service with the Portage County Sheriff’s Office and as chief of the Aurora Police Department, the Record-Courier reported. Adams, a Kent State University graduate who operates childcare centers in Brimfield and Kent, is involved with Portage County CASA and Celebrate Portage, according to The Portager.
Voters will also decide two countywide issues. Issue 13 is a 0.4-mill, five-year levy requested by Portage County Job and Family Services for senior services, which would generate about $2,451,896 a year and cost property owners $14 a year per $100,000 of property value, the Record-Courier reported. Issue 14 is a 0.3-mill, 10-year renewal levy for the Portage County Mental Health and Recovery Board, generating about $1,157,027 a year at $6 a year per $100,000 of valuation, according to the Record-Courier.
Other countywide contests are uncontested. Auditor Matt Kelly and judges Patricia Smith, of the juvenile and probate courts, and Becky Doherty, of the Common Pleas Court, are running unopposed to keep their seats, the Record-Courier reported. Local questions on ballots around the county include Brimfield Township’s Issue 27, a five-year, 1.95-mill additional levy for fire and emergency medical services, and income tax measures in Kent and Ravenna, according to The Portager.
Voters can preview their own sample ballot through the board of elections website and check their polling place before Tuesday. Anyone with questions about registration or curbside voting for voters with disabilities can call the board at 330-297-3511, the board said.
Photo: JonRidinger, CC BY via Wikimedia Commons