Election day is here. Stark County has many issues on the ballot

The big day has come.

In Ohio, polls opened at 6:30 a.m.

Americans will cast their votes for the next president, with Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump expected to put up a tough fight.

Ohio is also home to the US Senate race between Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown and Republican challenger Bernie Moreno.

Residents will also decide on Issue 1, which proposes new rules for drawing district maps and calls for the creation of a new redistricting commission made up of 15 citizens. Proponents say it would curb gerrymandering in the state, while opposition says it will lead to more gerrymandering.

Additionally, three races for seats on the Ohio Supreme Court are on the ballot, and many state representative offices are up for election.

At the county level, Stark County voters will elect judges, sheriffs, prosecutors and other statewide offices. There are also many proposed levies, including one for the construction of a new fire station in North Canton.

The Canton Repository will provide election results updates throughout the night. Polls close at 7:30 p.m

Voter turnout in Stark County starts off strong

Regine Johnson, deputy director of the Stark County Board of Elections, said everything has gone smoothly so far and 27,235 voters, 11% of the area's registered voters, have shown up so far.

“It was a normal election day,” she said. “For an election morning we had no crises, which is very good.”

Johnson said voters should be aware of where their local polling places are, as many have appeared to the board of elections in error in the past.

“We can’t serve 250,000 voters on Election Day,” she said. “The only people who can vote here are people whose addresses have changed, and they can cast provisional ballots here.”

To find your polling place, go to: County of Stark | Voter View – Polling Station Search.

Community members cast their votes across the board

Voters flocked to the J Babe Stearn Community Center early on Tuesday morning as the parking lot was nearly full by 9 a.m

What can you — and can’t — wear to a polling place in Ohio?

Somehow.

You are not permitted to campaign or attempt to influence another person's vote within 100 feet of a polling station. This includes wearing clothing or paraphernalia that displays the name of a candidate or political party and support or opposition to a ballot question.

However, they can wear clothing with campaign slogans such as “Make America Great Again” and “We're Not Going Back,” the Dispatch previously reported.

If you break the rules, election officials may ask you to cover your offending clothing or turn it inside out. If you're annoyed about being asked to do this, remember that poll workers don't make the rules.

Are ballot selfies legal in Ohio? It depends on

Sure, you want to brag that you did it. Of course, election selfies are everywhere on social media. And as soon as early voting began, selfies began popping up of people holding their voter stickers or posing in front of early voting locations.

But voters who post selfies with their marked ballots are at risk, the Cincinnati Enquirer previously reported.

In Ohio, it is illegal to take a photo of your completed ballot.

Lawmakers banned photos of completed ballots in 1997 because they feared that employers or others would intimidate voters by forcing them to show how they voted. The crime is a fifth-degree felony punishable by a $2,500 fine and up to one year in prison.

Some polling stations designate special areas for taking selfies on election day. A good rule of thumb is to use common sense, pay attention to signs, and don't upset poll workers. You have important work to do.

When will we know who won the presidential race?

Simply put: no one knows. There is no fixed timetable for calling the presidential election.

The results of the presidential election will be announced when all ballots are counted, which in the past has taken between a day and a week.

Typically, the closer the race, the longer it takes to know the results. If the vote is as close as the polls are currently predicting, it could take several days until the result is known.

While polls in Massachusetts close at 8:00 p.m., voting in other states remains open until 12:00 p.m. EST, and even later if there are long lines at polling places when polls close.

Additionally, counting ballots in a close race takes particularly long in swing states. In the 2020 election, the swing states Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada took the longest.

This year, several key swing states are expected to experience delays:

What do I need to bring to vote in Stark County?

To vote in Ohio, a valid photo ID is required. Those who do not provide this may cast a provisional ballot, but must return to the Board of Elections no later than four days after Election Day with valid identification in order for the vote to be counted. The following ID types are accepted:

Ohio driver's license
Ohio State ID Card
Temporary ID form issued by the Ohio BMV
A US passport
A US passport card
US military map
Ohio ID card
US Department of Veterans Affairs ID card

Here's what a photo ID must have to be accepted:

Photo of the voter
Expiration date that has not yet expired
The voter's name, substantially as it appears on the electoral roll or poll book

When do polls open in Ohio?

Polls opened at 6:30 a.m. and will remain open until 7:30 p.m

Where is my polling station?

The Ohio Secretary of State's Office can be used to locate your polling location. How to find it:

Click on your county on the Ohio map.
Enter your address number and street name.
Your nearest polling station should be shown.

More than 75,000 Stark County residents have already voted

Nearly 30% of registered voters in Stark County have already cast their ballots.

As of Monday afternoon, a total of 75,773 people voted early in Stark County. According to the Ohio Secretary of State's Absentee and Early Voting Dashboard, the majority of early voters in the county, 44,132, voted in person at the Board of Elections.

In addition, 31,641 postal ballots were returned to the electoral board. That represents an 88% return rate for ballots requested in Stark County.

Across Ohio, more than 2.5 million people voted early by mail or in person as of Monday afternoon.

Early in-person voting began in October and ended Sunday.

Includes reporting from USA TODAY and the Columbus Dispatch.