May 2 Ohio Primary Election: What you need to know

CLEVELAND (WJW) – Polls are officially closed for the May 2 primary election.

The election doesn’t feature any major issues or races statewide, but there are several school levies and bonds on the ballot for NE Ohio. There are also at least 12 mayoral races, including the battle in Akron.

Here’s everything you need to know about the primary election.

Mayoral races

The standout mayoral race of the election is in Akron, where seven Democratic candidates are seeking to replace outgoing Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan. No Republican candidates qualified to be on the ballot.

Candidates are: Tara Mosley; Marco Somerville; Shammas Malik; Jeff Wilhite; Mark Greer; Joshua Schaffer; and Keith Mills.

See below for a full list of cities with mayoral races:

Akron
Barberton
Canton
Dover
Lorain
Mansfield
Orrville
Sheffield
Tallmadge
Uhrichsville
Wadsworth
Wooster

School issues

There are over 30 levies and bonds on the ballot for several districts in Northeast Ohio Tuesday.

Parma Schools is trying for the fourth time to pass a bond issue. In November, voters rejected the bond issue with 52 percent of people voting against it. The $199M bond issue would fund constructing a new high school along with renovating and improving other buildings.

Meanwhile, Mapleton Schools in Ashland are asking for the first new money in 32 years. The .75 percent additional five-year income tax levy would generate funds to go to current expenses.

All districts with issues on the ballot are:

Beachwood Schools
Brunswick City Schools
Buckeye Local Schools
Canton Schools
Conneaut Schools
Crestline School District
Edison Schools
Garfield Heights Schools
Green Local Schools
Hillsdale Schools
Independence Schools
Kirtland Schools
Lake Local Schools
Louisville Schools
Madison Local Schools
Manchester Local Schools

Mapleton Schools
Midview Local Schools
Mogadore Local Schools
North Ridgeville Schools
Parma Schools
Perkins Schools
Perry Local Schools
Ravenna City Schools
Springfield Local Schools
Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools
Triway Local Schools
Willoughby-Eastlake Schools
Waterloo Local Schools
Woodridge Local Schools
Wooster City Schools
West Holmes Schools

Where to vote

The Ohio Secretary of State’s website lets you search for your polling location. First, click on your county, then enter your address.

Polls were open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.

Vote by mail

To request and vote on an absentee ballot, you must have completed the absentee ballot request form and mailed the form to your county board of elections.

Once you received your ballot in the mail, vote, and returned your voted ballot either by mail and postmarked no later than the day before election day (May 1) or in-person to your county board of elections before the polls closed at 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot was on April 25, seven days before the May 2 primary election in Ohio.

Voter ID requirements

A new identification rule began when Ohio’s early voting started on April 4. Now, any person who shows up to vote has to bring a photo ID with them.

In the past, voters were able to use forms of id that didn’t have their picture on them like bank statements, government checks, or some kind of utility bill. Those days are over.

There is also one new method of ID people can now use: Your passport.

V alid types of photo identification include: