By the time the Lucas County Early Vote Center opened for its four hours of voting Sunday afternoon, the line to get in snaked around the corner from the main entrance on 13th Street and the length of the building on Monroe Street.
But even after the doors opened and the first few dozen voters were allowed inside, the line continued to grow, at least for a while, and a half-hour wait was not uncommon throughout the afternoon.
Tina Butts, an organizer of Souls to the Polls, said the get-out-the-vote drive was centered on 22 neighborhood churches in Toledo.
Felicia Howard was one of many who headed downtown after morning services at Friendship Baptist Church on Nebraska Avenue in southwest Toledo and waited more than a half hour outside the polling place — under dry, mild skies — before her part of the line got inside.
“I’m here to make sure I get my vote in and I don’t have any problems,” she said. “I want to be a part of the change, part of the movement.”
At the head of the line stood Branardine Marshall of west Toledo, who had arrived two hours before early voting began for the day at 1 p.m.
“I’ve been here since 11. I took a nap in my car because I forgot to change my clock,” she confessed. Daylight Saving Time had ended at 2 a.m. Sunday, causing the official time to slip back to 1 a.m. at that hour.
“There’s so many issues that need to be addressed that will affect our community here in Toledo,” Ms. Marshall said to explain why, even without the timing mistake, she would have showed up an hour before the polling place opened.
Mixed in among the Souls to the Polls participants were others who had come out, for whatever reason, to vote early.
“I just can’t vote on Tuesday — I have to work,” said Mady McPartland of Toledo, who arrived early — but not as early as Ms. Marshall had — thinking polling hours had begun earlier in the morning.
“My vote counts,” she said of why getting to the polls was important.
And deeper in the line were Judge Thomas Osowik of the 6th District Court of Appeals, who along with his wife, Rosemarie, headed downtown on a nice day to get their votes in — not really expecting they’d have so much company.
“I didn’t have any idea it would be like this, but it’s OK,” the judge said. “It’s exciting, and I’m not on the ballot this year.”
Voters arriving at the center’s parking lot had to pass a gauntlet of campaign workers and local candidates who made final pitches for support.
“I’ve been out here the last few days, and this is definitely the largest crowd,” said Waterville Mayor Lori Brodie, who is running to fill a vacancy term as Lucas County treasurer. “It’s a good thing they’re showing up to vote.”
By 4:40 p.m., 539 people had voted Sunday at the Early Vote Center, and more than 100 more were still in line around the building’s corner. Anyone already in line at the 5 p.m. closing time was to be allowed to enter to vote.
LaVera Scott, director of the Lucas County Board of Elections, said the center’s total for the election, as of 4:40, was 11,936 ballots cast.
Across from Monroe and 13th, a party atmosphere settled in, with a sound system playing disco tunes and the Toledo Wing Truck offering lunch.
“This is so nice to see people getting out to vote,” said Labaron Christian, the food truck’s owner, who had also set up shop during early voting for the 2016 presidential election.
Mr. Christian said, however, that he planned to cast his ballot on Tuesday, the traditional Election Day.
The Lucas County Early Vote Center at 1301 Monroe will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, its final day for this election.
On Election Day, voting hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Ohio and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Michigan.
Fifteen Toledo precincts have new polling places this year. In some cases that’s because their former locations were no longer available, while other changes are the result of a small number of polling-place consolidations.
Ms. Scott said all registered voters whose polling places changed were notified “ages ago” by letters, and no late changes have been made.
Any phone calls purporting to notify voters of polling-place changes are not legitimate, Ms. Scott said.
“The board of elections doesn’t make phone calls, and it doesn’t send texts,” she said.
Anyone uncertain about where to vote should check the election board’s website or call during operating hours — 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday or 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday — to verify their polling place.
First Published November 5, 2018, 12:10 a.m.
