It was a big day for voting managers at the United Methodist Church of Kent, as the polling location received record high turnout. 

Sara Ashley-Cook, a voting manager, said over 600 voters showed up to the polls from a precinct that usually expects 300 to 400 people per election. She said that number doesn’t count provisional ballots, either. 

“I’ve never seen this many people,” Ashley-Cook said. “We’ve literally had a line all day long.”

Ashley-Cook also said there was also a lot of excitement and energy throughout the day from student voters. 

“We had people waiting at 6 a.m., and we didn’t open until 6:30 a.m.,” she said. “I’m so happy about how many students voted. We need the young voters to get out and vote.” 

Gene Brown, another voting manager at the United Methodist Church, said everyone remained respectful in lines, no matter who they voted for. 

“Everyone was courteous in the lines, and we had no issues,” Brown said. “We felt that there was going to be a little trouble, but everything turned out fine.” 

Brown also credited the Portage County Board of Elections on doing “an excellent job” with Election Day preparations regarding staff and volunteers. He said the board responded quickly to any potential issues and resolved them. 

Just before the polls closed at 7:30 p.m., Brown said the poll workers will begin taking down all equipment and return statements from each voting machine to the Board of Elections. He also clarified there’s no chance of any votes being tampered with.

“We feel comfortable about heading back to the Board of Elections,” Brown said. 

John Engoglia is a beat reporter. Contact him at [email protected].