Get ready for the primary election

SANDUSKY — A May 5 primary gives Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians important races to vote in: both statewide and locally in Erie County. And even if you aren't interested in party primaries, you might want to show up anyway to vote on tax issues in Huron and Kelleys Island or a liquor issue in central Sandusky. Here's what you need to know. Information came from the Ohio Secretary of State's office and the Erie County Board of Elections through deputy director Adrienne James. Make sure you are registered The deadline to register to vote is 9 p.m. on April 6. If you aren't registered, you can get that done by: • Showing up at the election board office in the county government building, Room 101, 2900 Columbus Ave., Sandusky; Normal hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. • Going online at voteohio.gov • Getting a voting registration form at the election board office; They will mail one to you if you call. • Picking up a form at a local library or the Department of Human Services office, fill it out and mail it in If you are registered or you think you are, it's a good idea to double-check by looking up your voter registration at voteohio.gov just to make sure you haven't been mistakenly purged. If you miss the April 6 deadline, you'll be required to vote using a provisional ballot for the May 5 primary election. Three ways to vote "Ohio offers three convenient ways to vote," said Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, the state's top elections official. One way is to show up on May 5, Election Day. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Note that Ohio has tightened up its voter ID rules. You must show a photo ID. You can't bring a utility bill anymore. If you use a driver's license, it should be for Ohio and must be up to date. "Ohio law requires voters to present a valid, unexpired photo ID that includes their name and photograph. Examples of acceptable IDs include Ohio driver licenses, state of Ohio ID cards, U.S. passports, and military IDs," according to a document at voteohio.gov. Your other two options are to mail in an absentee ballot or to vote early at the Erie County elections board office. Absentee ballot applications are available online at the election board office, at voteohio.gov, or by calling the election board, and the election board will mail you one. Absentee ballots must be received by the election board by Election Day, either in the mail or dropped off in person, so allow yourself plenty of time to get your ballot, fill it out and mail it in or drop it off. "I would say earlier is better," James advises. Meanwhile, in-person absentee voting starts on April 7 at the election board. For a full list of early voting hours, see the Erie County elections board website at boe.ohio.gov/erie. Did you get a letter? According to Erie County elections board director Alex Jones, recent state law changes mean certain county voters might have received a letter in the mail: A recent change in state law seeks to improve the accuracy of Ohio's voting rolls by correcting a small number of inaccurate records. To correct this information, our office sent a notice, by mail, informing a small number of affected voters of the information needing to be verified. Voters have until fourteen days before the election to submit the form verifying their information, or they will need to vote a provisional ballot. Voters can check the status of their registration by visiting boe.ohio.gov/erie, selecting Am I Registered, and providing their last and first name, or by calling our office at 419.627.7601 x8, or by emailing us at erie@ohiosos.gov. New polling place Some voters in Sandusky will have a new polling location starting with this May's primary. Those in Precincts "Sandusky E" and "Sandusky G" who formerly cast ballots at the Mylander Pavilion at the Jackson Street Pier will now cast their votes at the Sandusky Justice Center, 222 Meigs Street. This building was formerly the city hall. Voters are asked to use the doors facing Meigs Street, and should go to the magistrate's chambers to vote. Pick a primary or not Whether you show up in person or fill out an absentee ballot form, you'll be asked whether you want to vote as a Democrat, Republican or Libertarian. See the list later on in this article. There are also a few places in Erie County where you can ignore the party primaries but still get a local issues ballot. What are the local issues? If you live in the city of Huron or Huron Township, you will be voting on a fire and ambulance levy. Kelleys Island residents will vote on a resort area tax hike. Residents of Precinct G in Sandusky will be asked whether to approve liquor sales on Sunday for a business at 212 Hancock St. Need more information? If you are still confused about a voting issue, voteohio.gov has plenty of information, or you can phone the county election board office at 419-627-7601. Republican primary contests Are you a Republican? Pick your candidate to oppose U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, in the November general election. Your options are Derek Merrin, Madison Sheahan, Alea Nadeem, Josh Williams and Anthony Bruce Campbell. Republican candidates for governor are Vivek Ramaswamy, Casey Putsch and Heather Hill. Other statewide contests include: • Secretary of state involving Robert Sprague vs. Marcell Strbich • Treasurer involving Jay Edwards vs. Kristina Roegner • Supreme Court justice, to oppose Democrat Jennifer Brunner, involving Andrew King, Jill Lanzinger, Ronald Lewis and Colleen O'Donnell. Here are the local GOP primary contests: • State central committee, male, involving John Adams vs. Timothy Brentlinger • State central committee, female, involving Beth Deck vs. Jill Stinebaugh • Common pleas court judge involving Thomas Dusza vs. Loretta Riddle. We've left off the races with only one candidate, though you'll see them on your ballot. For example, state Rep. D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, is running for re-election but has no primary opponent. Democratic primary contests Here are the Democratic statewide primaries with more than one candidate: • U.S. Senate involving Sherrod Brown vs. Ron Kincaid • Attorney general involving Elliot Forhan vs. John Kulewicz • Secretary of state involving Bryan Hambley vs. Allison Russo As for local races, two men are running for seats on the party's state central committee and two women. The male contest is Thomas Galloway vs. Chris Redfern. In the other race, the choices are Margaret Mary Murray vs. Susan Mulligan. The Libertarian primary Libertarians have a 9th District U.S. House contest: Matthew Althaus vs. David Edward Gedert. Libertarians are also picking a member of the state central committee: Zach Hall vs. Tom Pruss. The party was also supposed to have a U.S. Senate contest, but one of the candidates, Jeffrey Kanter, has been ruled ineligible after a challenge. That leaves William Redpath as the Libertarian Party's Senate candidate. Other local counties Other local election boards also have sample ballots and information on local elections. Early voting is also offered at those locations, too: • The Huron County Board of Elections website is huron.boe.ohio.gov. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The office is located at 180 Milan Ave. (U.S. 250) in Norwalk, and the phone number is 419-668-8238. • Ottawa County's election board is located at 8444 W. Ohio 163, Suite 101, Oak Harbor. Normal office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The phone number is 419-898-3071. The website is boe.ottawa.oh.gov. • Sandusky County's election board is at 622 Croghan St., Fremont. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The phone number is 419-334-6180, and the website is sanduskycountyoh.gov/index.php?page=board-of-elections.