Election 2020: What's On The Ballot In Westlake

Cleveland OH

09 October, 2020

9:16 AM

Description

WESTLAKE, OH — Ohioans will face major decisions when they cast their ballots in the Nov. 3 general election. The headline-grabbing decision, of course, will be the presidential race between incumbent Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden. The bellwether of the nation, many Americans will be eager to see where the Buckeye State swings on that fateful Tuesday. The November election will have more than just a sweeping national impact. There are plenty of local decisions to be made in communities around Ohio. Learn more about the upcoming election below. Local Races in Westlake Westlake voters will pick their representative to the U.S. House, either incumbent Anthony Gonzalez, a Republican or challenger Aaron Paul Godfrey, a Democrat. Westlake voters will also decide two Ohio legislature contests. For state senator, the choice will be between Matt Dolan, a Republican and Tom Jackson, a Democrat. For state representative, the choice will be between Dave Greenspan, a Republican and Monique Smith, a Democrat. Westlake voters will also decide six charter amendments. The six amendments would: Clarify the powers of the mayor, saying the mayor does not have control over city council or the law directorOne of the amendments would change language in the charter saying the mayor shall have "control" over departments. The proposal would shift the language to "supervise" departmentsIf the position of mayor is suddenly vacant (due to a health crisis, for instance), the president of city council would be come interim mayor. If the president of council cannot assume the role of interim mayor, the law director would take on the positionGive council flexibility in when regular meetings are heldClarify that the city's law director is elected and not appointed by the mayorReduce the number of signatures needed to run for elected office in the city from 500 signatures to 250 signaturesChange the threshold for winning the office of mayor in Westlake to 40 percent of the vote; if more than two candidates run and no one achieves 40 percent of the vote, there will be a run-off between the top two candidates Early Voting Early voting for the upcoming general election began Oct. 6 in Ohio. This year, due to concern over the pandemic, many Ohioans are expected to either cast vote-from-home ballots or to vote early at their county boards of election. Each one of Ohio's 88 counties has its own designated site for early voting. For most counties, that site will be held at the county board of elections. To check where to cast an early ballot near you, visit the Secretary of State's website. Early in-person voting will end on Nov. 2, one day prior to the general election. Mail-in Ballots Absentee ballots are available to all registered Ohio voters. Poll workers will count absentee votes first on election night. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is three days before the Nov. 3 election. To be counted, absentee ballots must be postmarked the day before the election (meaning they must be postmarked on Nov. 2). Ohioans who requested an absentee ballot but wish to vote early and in-person must vote via provisional ballot. To request an absentee ballot in Ohio, visit the Secretary of State's website. More than 2 million Ohioans requested an absentee ballot prior to Oct. 1. In 2016, 1.8 million absentee ballots were cast in Ohio. Election officials can begin scanning absentee ballots as they are received, but those votes are not tabulated until the polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3. Election Day Polls will open at 6:30 a.m. on Nov. 3 and close at 7:30 p.m. With COVID-19 still threatening the populace, Ohio's general election could be less busy than ever. Approximately 5.5 million Ohioans voted overall in 2016. A diminished in-person turnout on Nov. 3 could benefit the Buckeye State. Several Ohio counties were still searching for poll workers on Oct. 1, according to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. "We need a whole new generation of Ohioans to step up and accept this important call to duty," LaRose said in a plea for more volunteers. "If you're patriotic about your neighbor's right to make their voice heard, check out the tracker and find out if your county needs help. We need you!"