Cuyahoga Board certifies write-in candidates for May Primary | The Locally Times
A Board of Elections meeting record confirms the certification ahead of the May 5 primary, but public documents do not name the candidates or the offices they seek.
The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections certified an unknown number of write-in candidates for the May 5, 2026 Primary Election during its regular monthly meeting on March 10, 2026. According to the board’s published meeting notice, the session was held from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at its offices on Superior Avenue in Cleveland. The agenda included the certification of write-in candidates as a specific item of business. However, the public records associated with the meeting do not identify the candidates who were certified, nor do they specify which political offices they are now eligible to contest. This action formally adds new contenders to the primary election ballot. The lack of detail in the public posting means voters do not have an official, consolidated list from the Board of Elections identifying these new candidates. ## Key Election Deadlines Pass The board’s certification occurred just weeks before two key deadlines for the May 5 primary. The following day, April 7, marked the beginning of the early voting period. A Board of Elections announcement states that both Vote-by-Mail and Early In-Person voting commenced on this date. This timeline indicates that voters could begin casting ballots without having access to a publicly posted list of the newly certified write-in candidates from the board’s March 10 meeting. ## Avon Lake Tax Increase Also on Ballot Beyond candidate races, the May 5 primary ballot will also feature local tax issues. Records from the City of Avon Lake show it has placed a proposal for an additional 0.4% municipal income tax before voters. According to the city’s public notice on the program, the measure would adjust the local income tax rate from 1.5% to 1.9% for a five-year period. City officials project the tax increase would generate approximately $6.6 million in revenue. The notice states these funds are designated for road and capital improvement needs within the community. If passed by voters, the new rate would be in effect for five years. ## Unanswered Questions for Voters The primary documents from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections do not provide a complete picture of the May 5 primary ballot. The names of the certified write-in candidates, the offices they seek, and the total number of candidates approved on March 10 are not included in the meeting records. The criteria or procedures the board used to validate these candidacies are also not detailed in the public notices. This absence of information presents a challenge for voters, especially those who choose to vote early or by mail, as they may not be aware of all the certified candidates for a given race. While candidate names will appear on the physical and electronic ballots, the lack of a centralized, publicly available list from the certifying authority following the March 10 meeting represents a gap in the public record ahead of the election.