Contributors: Rachel Jamison, Deb Wang, and Aaron Yeager.
Early voting has already begun for the Novemver 2026 General Election. Find important voting information and our recommendations below.
Table of Contents
1. Important dates for voting
2. Sample ballot for Stow/Munroe Falls, Ohio
3. Details on candidates and issues
Important dates for voting
THE GENERAL ELECTION IS NOVEMBER 3, 2026.
Polls open at 6:30 a.m., and close at 7:30 p.m. You can find your polling location by looking up your name on the Board of Elections website.
Other important dates are below. Please note that Ohio lawmakers have eliminated the four-day grace period for mail-in ballots not cast by military service members or overseas citizens.
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 9/18 to 11/2 | Military and overseas absentee voting |
| 10/5 | Deadline to register to vote in the 2026 General Election. |
| 10/27 | Absentee ballot applications must be received by Summit County Board of Elections by 8:30 PM. |
| 10/6 to 11/2 | Early in-person voting at the Summit County Board of Elections. Follow the above link for special evening and weekend hours. Please note that Summit County BoE address has changed to 1050 E Tallmadge Ave, Akron, OH 44310. |
| 10/6 to 11/2 | Absentee voting by mail. |
| 11/3 | Final deadline for ALL domestic civilian absentee ballots is Election Day, November 3rd, at 7:30 PM. This applies to both hand-delivered and mail-in ballots. Absentee ballots must be returned to the Board of Elections, not polling stations. |
| 11/7 | Military and overseas must be received, by mail, by the Board of Elections by November 7. |
Refer also to the official voting calendar and the Elections FAQ published by the Ohio Secretary of State.
Sample ballot for Stow/Munroe Falls, Ohio
Below is a sample ballot for Stow/Munroe Falls, Ohio, with our voting recommendations. If you live somewhere else in Summit County, you can find your sample ballot by looking up your name on the Board of Elections website.
Stow Collaboration for Change categorizes candidates as either ‘endorsed’ or ‘recommended’ in general elections. See below for explanations of each category.
Endorsed Candidates:
Candidates we enthusiastically support. These individuals strongly align with our core values through their background, platform, and track record.
Recommended Candidates:
Candidates who align better with our values than their immediate opponents. A recommendation is a strategic choice for a specific election — not a full alignment with our organization’s ideal platform.
Details on Candidates and Issues
Read about our recommendations for candidates and issues below.
Table of Contents
Summit County Candidates
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas (General Division)
Tania Nemer
Endorsed
Just 15 days after Trump returned to office for his second term, Nemer was one of dozens of immigration judges fired without explanation as the administration took aim at dialing up “immigration enforcement.” Nemer has sued to overturn her removal, accusing the U.S. DOJ of firing her because she is a woman, a dual citizen of the United States and Lebanon, a child of immigrants, and an affiliated Democrat.
While suing to overturn her removal, Nemer is running to return to the judiciary; this time, she’d sit on the Summit County Common Pleas Court.
During her time as a federal immigration judge, Nemer decided the fate of noncitizens facing potential deportation. She is now helping inform others on how this process works, recently speaking on Feb. 18 as part of a panel discussion on immigration in Akron, explaining some of the challenges inherent to the work of immigration judges.
Kelly L. McLaughlin
Recommended
McLaughlin is running for re-election as Judge of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas. We recommend giving her your vote.
Job Esau Perry
Endorsed
Perry currently serves as Magistrate of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas Probate Division. He has more than two decades of experience advising residents on remedying problems with homelessness, the disease of drug addiction, and mental health. Perry has served on a number of boards, including the Akron Public School Board, Boy Scouts of America Executive Board, CHC (Community Health Center) Addiction Services Board of Directors, Oriana CBCF (Community Based Corrections Facility) Facilities Governing Board, and more.
Perry is committed to bringing an understanding of the need for public safety, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and remedies for homelessness to the role.
Perry feels the Summit County judicial bench should represent the community it serves, with judges from various life experiences and racial backgrounds. He will bring diversity to a bench that does not currently reflect the look of Summit County, having noted “our county is diverse, but our Summit County bench is not.”
Perry can also offer a level of empathy, with his past personal experiences allowing him to relate to problems of hunger, domestic violence, and addiction. Perry acknowledges courts have made residents feel alienated and like they are not truly heard when they appear in front of a judge, recognizing residents are people with real needs, and not just a case number.
Mary Margaret Rowlands
Recommended
Rowlands is running for re-election as Judge of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas. We recommend giving her your vote.
John Galonski
Recommended
Galonski is running for Summit County Court of Common Pleas. We recommend giving him your vote.
Joy Malek Oldfield
Recommended
Oldfield is running for re-election as Judge of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas. We recommend giving her your vote.
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Juvenile Division)
Amy Corrigall Jones
Recommended
Jones is running for Summit County Juvenile Court Judge. We recommend giving her your vote.
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Domestic Relations Division)
Lisa Dean
Endorsed
Dean has represented families and protected children in Domestic Relations Courts across four local counties, for more than 25 years. She has represented family members in divorce, dissolution, custody, paternity, spousal and child support, grandparents’ rights, and same-sex parental rights. Dean has also served as a Guardian for children and neighbors who have been diagnosed with severe mental illness.
Dean is committed to providing resources to families during crisis to restore them to healing and wholeness and feels the court’s current programs fail in this mission. Dean hopes to implement new programs that directly involve children, acknowledging that methods that were once standard no longer fit the modern family and are outdated and ineffective, leaving children as the casualty.
Dean is recognized in the community as a zealous and respected advocate for the rights of family members, including her noted work to advance the rights of same-sex marriage partners and parents. As the law director for the City of Green, Dean has hosted quarterly law clinics and Know Your Rights programs, which are free and open to the public.
For Judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Probate Division)
Steve Elliott
Recommended
Elliot is running for Judge of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas Probate Division. We recommend giving him your vote.
Member of County Council At Large
Erin Dickinson
Recommended
Dickinson is running for re-election to Summit County Council. We recommend giving her your vote.
John A. Donofrio
Recommended
Donofrio is running for re-election to Summit County Council. We recommend giving him your vote.
Elizabeth Walters
Endorsed
Walters has spent her career working on behalf of organizations and people who support progressive values. She steered federal dollars towards public schools to promote health and safety throughout the pandemic, and allocated millions of dollars for opiate abatement.
She has been active on a wide variety of issues, like implementation of Paid Parental Leave for county employees, and distributing funding for small business and important social service nonprofits during the pandemic.
Walters has acted as chair of the Summit County Environmental Sustainability Task Force, co-chair of Summit County’s Special Committee to address racism as a public health crisis, and as a Liaison for Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion.
State of Ohio Candidates
Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Amy Acton and David Pepper
Recommended
Stow Collaboration for Change is recommending, but will not fully endorse Acton and Pepper, based on:
- Support for Qualified Immunity: Acton has promised to not support a possible ballot issue to end qualified immunity
- Anti-Trans Rhetoric and Stances: Acton does not support transgender women and girls participating in female sports categories, having stated ‘I do not support boys playing in girls sports. This is already settled law in Ohio, and as governor I will enforce and uphold the law.’
That being said, we recommend voting for Acton and Pepper for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, instead of their Republican opponents. The two-party system sucks, and Dems should do better.
Attorney General
John J. Kulewicz
Recommended
Kulewicz is running for Ohio Attorney General. We recommend giving him your vote.
Auditor of State
Annette Blackwell
Recommended
Blackwell is running for Ohio Auditor of State. We recommend giving her your vote.
Secretary of State
Allison Russo
Recommended
Russo is running for Ohio Secretary of State. We recommend giving her your vote.
Treasurer of State
Seth Walsh
Recommended
Walsh is running for Ohio Treasurer of State. We recommend giving him your vote.
Justice of the Supreme Court
Marilyn Zayas
Recommended
Zayas is running for Ohio Supreme Court. We recommend giving her your vote.
Jennifer Brunner
Recommended
Brunner is running for re-election to the Ohio Supreme Court. We recommend giving her your vote.
State Representative (34th District)
Derrick Hall
Endorsed
Hall is running for re-election to a second term as State Representative for House District 34. During his first term, Hall helped secure $7.8 million in funding for a number of community projects that support Summit County.
He’s been working to pass meaningful legislation, like:
- HB 29: Ensures menstruating inmates have access to feminine hygiene products and daily showers
- SB 114: Prohibits law enforcement from using quotas for arrests
- HB 890: Would establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board
- HB 958: Would require companies to disclose what chemicals they use in oil and gas operations.
Hall voted against:
- SB 1: Prohibiting the continuation or expansion of DEI efforts at state institutions of higher education
- SB 63: Prohibiting the use of ranked choice voting in Ohio elections
- HB 96: Eliminated the Fair School Funding Formula, the Public Library Fund, and gave $600 million to the Haslem family to fund a new Cleveland Browns Stadium.
- HB 347: Would further restrict abortion access and make possible the criminalization of performing an abortion procedure on the part of the physician
If elected for a second term, Hall hopes to provide real, meaningful property tax relief to Ohioans while protecting public schools, public libraries, and essential services, protect public education and reproductive rights, and fight for affordable and accessible healthcare.
Hall has a weak stance on data centers, prioritizing “practical guidelines and regulations” and “transparency and accountability” in lieu of a state-wide ban. Stow Collaboration for Change is anti-data center, but we’re giving candidates more time to mature on this issue before withholding endorsements solely on this basis. In Hall’s case, we feel the pros outweigh the cons in favor of an endorsement. But our eyes remain on this issue and the stance of Hall and other elected officials.
Judge of the Court of Appeals
Betty Sutton
Recommended
Sutton is running for re-election for Judge of the Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals. We recommend giving her your vote.
Tavia Galonski
Endorsed
Galonski has served Summit County residents as Clerk of Courts since 2024, making her the first black person to lead a countywide charter office, and is now running for Judge of the 9th District Court of Appeals.
As Clerk of Courts, Galonski hosts an annual expungement clinic with the Summit County Prosecutor’s office. She received an A+ rating in 2022 from Equality Ohio.
She also previously served as State Representative for Ohio’s 35th District, where she focused her time fighting to protect working families, abortion access, criminal justice reform, economic justice and fair school funding.
Galonski was previously employed with Delta Airlines as a flight attendant, where she aimed to unionize flight attendants like pilots, so they could negotiate as a unit for fair and just workplace agreements.
National Candidates
U.S. Senator
Greg Levy
Endorsed
Levy is running as an “other party candidate,” representing the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). Born in the Joy Park housing projects and raised in Akron, his story mirrors those of thousands of Ohioans, where issues facing working-class people are deeply felt, especially during harsh economic times.
Levy is a community organizer, a mover, and a veteran, and has an extremely strong platform built on a foundation of putting Ohio workers before billionaires.
Levy’s platform supports:
- Free, universal healthcare. Guaranteeing free abortion and recognizing that access to gender-affirming care is a healthcare decision that should be between a person and their doctor.
- Free childcare and education, and cancelling student debt.
- Rent caps at 20 percent of a tenant’s paycheck, $30 minimum wage, and abolishing the billionaire class.
- Green energy.
- Reparations for Black America. Eradicating systemic racism in all forms: police brutality, the system of mass incarceration, economic violence of poverty, unemployment, housing insecurity, and racist gerrymandering and voter purges.
- Cutting all aid to Israel and lifting sanctions on nations like Cuba, Venezuela and Iran.
- Abolishing ICE, ending all raids and deportations, shutting down the detention camps, and establishing a clear path to citizenship.
- Confronting the epidemic of gender-based violence through programs that help survivors escape abuse, and uproot sexist attitudes culturally and institutionally.
Levy feels “Our system isn’t broken; it’s working for the rich exactly as intended. Despite the theatrics, both Republicans and Democrats serve their true constituents” — and we agree.
Representative to Congress (13th District)
Emilia Sykes
Recommended
Stow Collaboration for Change is recommending, instead of endorsing, Sykes, and did not recommend her in the May 2026 Democratic Primary election, because:
- Sykes, who voted in favor of providing billions of dollars in funding to Israel, is endorsed by DMFI PAC, who works to elect pro-Israel Democrats.
- In 2023, Sykes stated “I stand firmly and unequivocally with the Israeli people, the right for Israel to exist, and reaffirm my commitment to supporting the State of Israel in its right to defend itself.”
- In 2025, Sykes voted in favor of a resolution praising ICE.
- As recently as July 2o26, Sykes continues making a point of insisting that the U.S. continue to send foreign aid to a genocidal apartheid state.
We do recommend voting for Sykes in this election, instead of her Republican opponent, and hope to be able to endorse a better candidate for Representative to Congress (13th District) in future elections. Like we said, the two-party system sucks.
State Issues
Issue 3 | Require voters to present photo ID in order to vote
We recommend voting NO
Playing Politics:
- Back in May, Ohio Gubernatorial Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy issued an opinion piece calling for Ohio legislators to initiate a constitutional requirement for photo ID to vote. A few weeks later, legislators pushed SJR 10 through the Ohio General Assembly, putting Issue 3 on the ballot.
- Issue 3 appears to be more about personal political agendas than supporting our state elections. Time after time, we have witnessed the Ohio General Assembly push through legislation that hinders election processes, while making no real effort to improve voter access.
Unnecessary, Redundant, and More Difficult:
- Ohio already has one of the strictest voter ID laws in the country.
- Adding mandatory photo ID laws to our state constitution is redundant and unnecessary.
- Issue 3 would shrink down the list of acceptable forms of identification to exclude non-photo ID options, such as government-issued checks or utility bills.
- Issue 3 would create additional hardship for absentee voters. Current law requires voters to prove their identity by writing their drivers’ license/ID number or the last four numbers of their social security number on the interior ballot envelope. This amendment would go a step further and require voters to send a copy of their state ID, driver’s license, or Social Security card. As home printers become less and less common, this would require voters to go to a library or a copy facility, or have someone do it for them, which could delay or effectively prevent them from returning their ballot.
- Putting these requirements in the state constitution leaves the possibility that some forms of ID could become obsolete, and thus unusable.
- The constitutional amendment would be very difficult to change if voting methods change in the future.
- Elections will remain safe and secure under the rigorous and meticulous processes already in place.
Local Issues
Stow and Munroe Falls
Issue 8 | Proposed Tax Levy (Renewal) Stow-Munroe Falls City School District
We recommend voting YES
The Renewal Levy on the ballot is not a tax increase — it simply renews existing funding at the current rate, with no added cost to taxpayers. The levy renewal will help keep SMF schools strong without asking taxpayers for more. Voters can actually expect a slight decrease in cost ($97 for each $100,000 of market value, a decrease from $110 per $100,000 on the expiring levy).
Between funding changes at the state and local level, all school districts are struggling. SMF schools have already been actively working to cut overhead, by examining methods to reduce staff attrition and reduce general spending while preserving existing jobs and student services. The district understands there is more work to be done, and the board unanimously voted to only maintain existing funding levels.
Issue 8 is the only Summit County ballot issue that does not also ask for new money.
The State of Ohio increased its overall rating of the district to 4.5 stars, which means the district exceeds state standards, and has become one of the area’s most efficient districts, without having sacrificed student outcomes. Any further reduction in funding will jeopardize that progress.
Munroe Falls
Issue 28 | Proposed Tax Levy (Additional)
We recommend voting YES
The tax levy, which has been in place for 10 years to fund road improvements throughout the City of Munroe Falls, is now expiring,
When the expiring levy was first passed, the funds were used to finance a state loan to do significant concrete street repairs and replacements, and continued to be used for spot repairs to keep the roads in the best condition possible, for as long as possible.
While one-off awards are excellent to have, they’re still not able to replace stable, ongoing funding for basic necessities of life. If replaced through Issue 28, funds will continue to be used for paving, maintenance, and spot repairs to streets throughout the city.
Context on Ballot Language:
- Because of the type of levy, this levy has to be called “Road & Bridge” — even though the only bridge in Munroe Falls is part of a state highway and therefore not covered by the levy.
- The word “additional” is included because while the millage is the same (2.0 mills), the amount of money collected is more due to increased property values.
- When this type of levy is passed, the dollar amount collected is calculated based on property values at that time and then frozen throughout the life of the levy. Even though property values continue to increase on a regular basis, voters aren’t paying any more dollars in taxes on levies of this type.
- “In excess of the ten-mill limitation”: Ohio law allows a City to levy up to 10 mills of property taxes simply by a vote of Council — no ballot required. This is called “inside millage” because it’s “inside” that 10-mill limit. This levy is going to the ballot to be approved by voters, and so it is categorized as “outside millage,” and as such, the ballot language requires this phrase “in excess of the ten-mill limitation.”
- The City of Munroe Falls is not utilizing any inside millage. Property tax levies go to the ballot, as Councils thus far haven’t decided to go ahead and levy taxes on their own.
- This “excess” language doesn’t mean they’ve used up what they can do and now are asking for even more — it’s just a required piece of language for passing this type of levy.
Stow
Issue 34 | City of Stow Elected Official Compensation Issue
We recommend voting YES
Issue 34 would raise the compensation of the Mayor, Law Director, and Finance Director. The pay rate for these elected officials hasn’t changed in 13 to 15 years. Given these are full time positions with residency requirements in Stow, they should be able to at least keep pace with inflation. Not paying the Mayor, Law Director, and Finance Director a market rate will limit the number of qualified people to run for these critical city positions. (There are also non-elected city administrators who currently earn more money than these elected positions).
Issues 35, 36, and 37 | Proposed Charter Amendments – Acting Mayor, Finance Director, and Law Director
We recommend voting YES
Issue 35, 36, and 37 were proposed by the Charter Review Commission last year, but were not approved by last year’s Council.
Each issue creates or clarifies who can act as the Elected (Mayor, Finance Director, or Law Director) in the event of inability (short-term absence) of the Elected.
There is currently an outlined process, should these three positions become vacant, but no concrete process in the case of incapacity.
The three amendments were recommended by the Charter Review Commission because they recognized that the City Charter does not provide an outlined processes for who should fill these roles in the short-term absence (e.g., medical absence) of the person elected to the role, which has already created issues in the past.
These proposed charter amendments will correct this and designate a deputy for each role (Mayor, Finance Director, or Law Director). These amendments do not add any jobs, but simply designate the next person in line who would have the authority to take care of city business.