Shaker Heights Voting Information For May Primary

SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH - On May 2, 2017 the residents of Shaker Heights will vote on a levy for the school district and an authorization to issue bonds for the revamping and reconstruction of district buildings. The levy would add "1.25 mills for each one dollar of tax valuation, which amounts to 12.5 cents for each one hundred dollars of tax valuation."

If you plan to cast your vote on the issue, you'll need to be registered to vote. You can check your registration status, update it, or get registered here by clicking here. The deadline to register to vote is April 3.

Early voting for the May 2 primary election will begin on April 4 and run through May 1. You can vote early at the Board of Elections Office, 2925 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland. You can also request to vote-by-mail. Requests for those ballots must be made by April 29. You can request a vote-by-mail ballot by clicking here.

Finally, if you want to go the old-fashioned route, in-person voting on May 2 will be held from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The Board of Elections has an online tool that will help you locate your polling location. You can use that tool by clicking here.

In Shaker Heights, voters will be casting their ballots on the following levy.

Issue bonds for the purpose of constructing, adding to, renovating, remodeling, furnishing, equipping
and otherwise improving School District buildings and facilities and acquiring, improving and equipping
sites for such buildings and facilities in the principal amount of $30,000,000, to be repaid annually over a
maximum period of 20 years, and levy a property tax outside the ten-mill limitation, estimated by the County Fiscal Officer to average over the bond repayment period 2.5 mills for each one dollar of tax valuation, which amounts to 25 cents for each one hundred dollars of tax valuation, to pay the annual debt charges on the bonds, and to pay debt charges on any notes issued in anticipation of the bonds?

Levy an additional property tax to provide funds for the acquisition, construction, enlargement, renovation and financing of general permanent improvements at a rate not exceeding 1.25 mills for each one dollar of tax valuation, which amounts to 12.5 cents for each one hundred dollars of tax valuation, for a continuing period of time?

Turnout for May primary elections has been tumbling since 2011. In May 2011 about 30 percent of the eligible electorate turned out for their respective primaries. By 2015 turnout was down to 15 percent. The majority of voters who show up in May are "non-partisan." The largest political party in Cuyahoga County May primaries is the Democratic Party. In May 2015, the Democrats had 47,379 voters turnout versus 17,480 Republicans.

The Board of Elections for Cuyahoga County is currently projecting a 15 percent turnout of eligible voters on May 2, holding steady with 2015's showing. In total, the BoE is expecting 33,000 votes to be cast on a variety of municipal issues.

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