Six Cuyahoga County cities are holding primary elections today with tens of thousands of voters in 193 precincts across Cleveland-area municipalities making their choices. Cuyahoga County is the only county in the state to have a September primary.
Polls opened at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. across all participating communities.
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
Cleveland Cleveland City Council wards 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 12 all have seats up for election. The city is using new ward boundaries for the first time, shrinking from 17 wards to 15, which means more than 70,000 Cleveland residents will vote in a different place than last time.
Ward 1 candidates include Juanita O. Brent, Aylwin S. Bridges, Marc G. Crosby, incumbent Joe Jones and Lesa Jones Dollar. Ward 9 features Alana Belle, incumbent Kevin Conwell and Tony Evans Jr. Ward 12 candidates are Andrew DeFratis, incumbent Danny Kelly and Tanmay Shah.
Cleveland Heights Five candidates are running for mayor: Deanna Bremer Fisher, Marty Gelfand, Laura Kinsley Hong, Jim Petras and Davida Russell.
Voters also face a recall question for current Mayor Kahlil Seren. The recall comes as Seren has been under scrutiny for months, stemming from a civil rights complaint regarding his wife, a discrimination lawsuit, delayed budget process and high staff turnover.
East Cleveland Mayoral candidates include Juanita Gowdy, Sandra Morgan, Vidah Aminah Saeed, incumbent Lateek R. Shabazz and Sean L. Ward. Both Sandra Morgan and Lateek Shabazz acted as mayor at some point during 2025 after former Mayor Brandon King was convicted of corruption.
Garfield Heights The mayoral race features incumbent Matt Burke, James S. Feeney and Cathy Mack.
Maple Heights City Council District 7 candidates are incumbent Edwina K. Agee, Travian M. Atkins and Samantha C. Scales.
Lakewood Ward 1, Precinct B voters will decide whether to allow Rood Food and Pie to sell alcohol on Sundays.
ELECTION DETAILS
For each candidate race, the top two vote-getting candidates will advance from today to the general election on November 4. All races are designated as nonpartisan.
Voters must present photo identification, including valid Ohio driver’s license, U.S. passport or military ID. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by Monday, September 8, or returned in person by 7:30 p.m. on September 9.