Gone are the days when the local elections board office was the place to be for politicians, school leaders and ordinary citizens who eagerly awaited election results.

"Years ago, we'd go to the board of elections and camp out and wait for the election to be done," Ledgemont Superintendent Ron Donatone said today, on the eve of the primary election. Not much is accomplished by going in person now that technology makes the information available so quickly, he noted.

Lake County Elections Board has had results available on the Internet since 2005.
"They're all sitting at home enjoying a beer and watching it on the Internet," said Janet F. Clair, elections board director.

Geauga County Elections Board Deputy Director Robbie Halford said it is easier to get work done on election night now that live-time updates are online.
"We kinda miss everybody coming up. Sometimes it got to be annoying when they got in our faces. But everything's going Internet now," she said.

-- Betsy Scott, BScott@News-Herald.com