For the May 5, 2026 primary, LorainCounty.com launched a purpose-built live dashboard alongside its standard results page. It tracked four races and eight of the most closely watched ballot issues in real time. This is a recap of how it went.
What We Built
LorainCounty.com has covered local elections for years. The results page worked, but it was passive. You loaded it, you saw numbers, you refreshed. For the 2026 primary, we wanted something that felt like the night was actually happening.
The dashboard sat alongside the standard results page, elevating the experience for visitors who wanted more than a table of numbers. It pulled results directly from the Lorain County Board of Elections into a backend database, then pushed updates to the page automatically. Visitors saw live vote counts, charts tracking how each race shifted over the course of the evening, and a clear PASSING or FAILING indicator on eight of the most closely watched ballot issues. No refreshing required. The page handled 100% precinct reporting across all four races and eight issues by the time the night was done.
Candidate photos, party labels, real margins, a live updates feed on the right rail. The design was built to hold your attention and provide information on the local election.
What Worked
The races were genuinely close. The County Commissioner Republican primary finished with a margin of 17 votes out of more than 19,000 cast. The 52nd District State Rep race was separated by roughly 150 votes most of the evening. In both cases, the trajectory charts told a story that a static table never could, and the lead-change alerts surfaced moments that would have been easy to miss.
Ballot issue results were clear and fast. Voters could see that the Lorain City Schools levy passed with 51.3% and that the Avon Lake income tax increase did not pass.
What We Will Improve
Interactive County Heat Map – In Lorain County, certain areas have a history of voting more Republican or more Democrat. As races get tight, it helps to know which parts of the County have already reported and which parts still remain to be counted.
Add All Races – We received multiple text messages from people wanting to see the Amherst School levy in the dashboard, for the November election, we plan to add all issues and contested races.
Customizable Dashboard – To go along with adding all contested races, we are looking into a way to let each user choose the races they are most interested in and pin these to the top of their dashboard.
Early Dashboard Release – We plan to release the dashboard a few weeks before the election to enable users to set their customizations and provide links to information on each candidate and issue. At Emerge, we build web applications and community platforms for clients across Lorain County and Ohio, including managing LorainCounty.com. If your organization is looking to build something that informs and engages your audience in real time, we are happy to talk through what that could look like: https://www.emergeinc.com/contact-us/.
