# 1981 Cleveland mayoral election

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The 1981 Cleveland mayoral election took place on November 3, 1981, to elect the Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio. The election was officially nonpartisan, with the top two candidates from the September 29 primary advancing to the general election.
This was the first Cleveland mayoral election to a four-year term.

## Primary election

Primary election results :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| George Voinovich (incumbent) | George Voinovich (incumbent) | 56,469 | 68.22% |
| Patrick Sweeney | Patrick Sweeney | 24,153 | 29.18% |
| Lynda Joyce | Lynda Joyce | 1,527 | 1.85% |
| Rick Nagin | Rick Nagin | 622 | 0.75% |
| Total votes | Total votes | 82,771 | |

## General election

Cleveland mayoral election, 1981 :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| George Voinovich (incumbent) | George Voinovich (incumbent) | 107,472 | 76.54% |
| Patrick Sweeney | Patrick Sweeney | 32,940 | 23.46% |
| Total votes | Total votes | 140,412 | |