Democrats on the Summit County Board of Election say Republicans have been trying to suppress turnout this year so they’re urging people to come out early and they have.   Democrats were hoping to use a giant building they’ve used in past years as a polling place for early voting but Republicans nixed that idea.  So people lined up outside the much smaller Board of Elections to vote.
 
County Executive Russ Pry and Akron Council president Marco Summerville say the wait has been short but overall  the changes make it less convenient this year..

Pry: " They reduced the precinct substantially from 475 down to 200 some.”  
Summerville: “I hope people realize what’s really going on and that should energize us even more so.  If it rains we’ll get wet and if we have to wait in lines a long time we’ll wait.”

Many early voters were like Cathy Helbling of Copley, who says she didn’t need to wait for the debates.

"I’ve watched enough; I read a lot; I’m a political junky so I pretty much knew who I wanted.” 

Urycki: “Would like all the TV commercials to go a way now? 

“Sure.”