Tri-C Votes
In a democracy, your vote is your voice. Tri-C is proud to be a nationally ranked institution in student voter engagement. We work to give you all the tools to put your voice to use.
Welcome to the 2026 Midterm Election year.
The General Election is on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Every election, you have the choice of three ways to vote:
- Vote Early In-Person at the Board of Elections: Board of Elections Hours
- Vote-by-Mail: You must fill out a form to apply for this voting method. View the steps.
- Vote on Election Day: Check your polling location.
A few key facts on the Nov. 3 General Election:
- The General Election decides all open seats for 2027. To vote in this election, you do not need to declare a party.
- This year's General Election also is referred to as the Midterm Election, as it happens at the mid-point of a four-year Presidential term.
- Issues on the Nov. 3 Ballot may include taxes, levies and permits. We'll include a link to this list when it becomes available.
Key General Election Dates:
Voter Registration Deadline - Monday, Oct. 5, by 9 p.m.
Voting Season Opens - Tuesday, Oct. 6
- Early In-Person voting begins Tuesday, Oct. 6 - Nov. 1 at 5 p.m. - Early In-Person voting at one place in the County - the Board of Elections. In Cuyahoga County, it's located at 1803 Superior Ave, Cleveland, OH 44114. Find other counties here.
- Vote-by-Mail ballots start going out - Tuesday, Oct. 6
- Deadline to apply to Vote-by-Mail is Oct. 27 at 8:30 p.m.
- Note: Sooner is ALWAYS better. In fact, once you're registered to vote, you can apply to Vote-by-Mail at any point. Just choose the Nov. 3 Election on the application form.
- When sending your voted ballot back, you must time it to arrive at the Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m., Nov. 3.
- Important change: There no longer is a four-day, post-election grace period for mailed ballots.
- By Mail - affix the required postage and drop it in the mail to allow postal delivery by Nov. 3. Sooner is always better.
- In Person - no postage needed. Take it to the 24-hour-dropbox in the Board of Elections parking lot or walk it into their offices by 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3.
- Deadline to apply to Vote-by-Mail is Oct. 27 at 8:30 p.m.
Election Day – Tuesday, Nov. 3
Vote in person at your assigned polling location from 6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. Find it here.
Every Ohioan has a reason to vote. Multiple State and Federal offices will be on the ballot.
U.S. Senate and U.S. House
- There is a Special Election for one of the two U.S. Senate Seats in Ohio.
- All 15 U.S. House Districts in Ohio will be on the ballot.
State of Ohio
- All Ohio Executive Offices — In 2026, all six Ohio Executive offices are up for a vote. Also, all current officeholders are term-limited and may not run for their present office. They can, however, opt to run for a different state office.
- On the ballot — Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Auditor and Treasurer.
- Ohio Senate — All odd-numbered Ohio Senate district seats (17) are up for a vote. Find your Senator and District.
- Ohio House — All Ohio House seats (99) are up for a vote in 2026. Find your State Representative.
View the full candidate list for Cuyahoga County
Issues
There are multiple Issues on the Midterm ballot. Note: Everyone in Cuyahoga County is impacted by State Issue 3 and County Issues 10-14.
One State Issue
- Issue 3 - Proposed Constitutional Amendment to require voters to present photo ID in order to vote.
- Current status:As you may know, Ohio law requires voting with a photo ID. Ohio law also defines approved forms of photo ID, an alternative ID for those with religious objections, and defines approved ID options for those not voting in person as well as those without a photo ID.
- Impact: Issue 3 proposes turning these requirements into a constitutional amendment.
- Vote Yes to approve - a majority yes vote is required to adopt this measure
- Vote No to disapprove
Six School District Issues
In all of these Issues - a Yes vote signals approval; a No vote signals disapproval
- Issue 4 - Proposed Tax Levy - (additional) - Cleveland Heights/University Heights City School District - A rate not exceeding 6.5 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $228 for each $100,000 of the County Fiscal Officer’s market value.
- Issue 5 - Proposed Tax Levy - (additional) - Euclid City School District - A rate not exceeding 6.75 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $236 for each $100,000 of the County Fiscal Officer’s market value.
- Issue 6 - Proposed Tax Levy - (renewal - five years) - Garfield Heights City School District - A levy outside of the 10-mill limitation, to average 7.74 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $271 for each $100,000 of the County Fiscal Officer’s market value for five years.
- Issue 7 - Proposed Tax Levy - (renewal - five years) - Independence Local School District - A rate not exceeding 1.25 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $26 for each $100,000 of the County Fiscal Officer’s market value for five years.
- Issue 8 - Proposed Tax Levy - (additional) - Orange City School District - A rate not exceeding 5 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $175 for each $100,000 of the County Fiscal Officer’s market value.
- Issue 9 - Proposed Tax Levy - (additional - five years) - Strongsville City School District - A rate not exceeding 6.7 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $235 for each $100,000 of the County Fiscal Officer’s market value for five years.
Five Cuyahoga County Issues
- Issue 10 - Proposed Tax Levy - (additional - 10 years) - Board of Developmental Disabilities - A rate not exceeding 2.25 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $79 for each $100,000 of the County Fiscal Officer’s market value for ten years.
- Just the Facts: The Board's last request was in 2005 - 21 years ago. Property tax dollars fund 78% of the Board's budget. In turn, the Board reports $500 million in economic impact and creation of thousands of jobs. It also reports supporting 15,446 people with developmental disabilities in 2025. View more info at cuyahogadd.org.
- Issue 11 - Proposed Tax Levy - (renewal and increase - 10 years) - Health and Human Services (HHS) - A renewal of 4.7 mills and an increase of 2.5 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $196 for each $100,000 of the County Fiscal Officer’s market value for ten years.
- Just the Facts: Funds go directly to programs supporting 1.3 million county residents - including those for children, seniors and the homeless as well as medical care, mental health and addiction. Last year, HHS served approx. 500,000 county residents - with programs funded by both federal dollars and the levy. View more info at hhs.cuyahogacounty.gov/.
- Proposed County Charter Amendments - View the full text here.
- Issue 12 - if passed, would require County Council confirmation of County Executive's removal of members of boards, agencies, commissions and more.
- Issue 13 - if passed, defines the duties of the Director of Law in the County in multiple areas.
- Issue 14 - if passed, provides the County Executive and the County Council with authority to each appoint four members of the nine-member Charter Review Commission that are not subject to the other's confirmation as well as County Executive authority to appoint one member, that is subject to County Council confirmation.
Municipal Issues - Is your city on the ballot?
- Of the 105 Issues on the General Election ballot, 91 of them are city issues. Listed in alphabetical order starting with Issue 15, check here to see if your city is proposing a tax levy, charter amendment, liquor permit, etc.
Before any election — Text three friends your voting plan — and encourage them to make a plan too! #VoteEarlyDay #TriCVotes
National Designations
In a democracy, your vote is your voice. Tri-C is proud to be a nationally ranked institution in student voter engagement (see our current designations below). We work with national, state and local partner organizations — as well as our students, faculty and staff — to give you all the tools to put your voice to use.
Tri-C is proud to work with the Fair Election Center's Campus Vote Project. Each year, students are chosen to work on campus with Government Relations as Democracy Fellows. In total, six students are serving in our ninth cohort in 2026.
Tri-C is one of only 275 higher education institutions named as a Voter Friendly Campus in America, earning this designation for the fourth consecutive time. We are a proud member of the 2025-2026 cohort.
We are honored to be one of only 31 institutions named to the inaugural cohort of Ask Every Student Codesigner Campuses in America, now in place at hundreds of institutions, working together to support student voter registration and nonpartisan civic engagement.