Turnout in Mahoning County is expected to be 22 percent

YOUNGSTOWN — More than three-quarters of Mahoning Valley voters eligible to cast ballots for candidates or issues on Tuesday won’t bother doing so, local election officials predict.

There isn’t much on Tuesday’s primary ballot to bring out voters, the officials say.

“There’s no interest and no [political] activity,” said Thomas McCabe, Mahoning County Board of Elections director. “You drive and there’s no yard signs.”

Turnout in odd-year elections are typically poor, he and other Valley election officials say.

There isn’t the excitement or interest that exists in even-year elections when voters are waiting on long lines at time to cast ballots for the president, Congress, the state Legislature and county officials.

This Tuesday, Youngstown, the county’s most populated community, has a two-man Democratic mayoral primary and liquor options in two Youngstown voting precincts. That’s it for Youngstown’s ballot.

In Austintown and Canfield, there’s nothing on Tuesday’s ballot.

In Boardman, there are two renewal levies and two questions: one on the aggregate purchase of natural gas and the other on electricity.

Turnout in Mahoning County is expected to be 22 percent, McCabe said.

That would be up from 19 percent in 2007, but down from the 25.9 percent turnout in 2005.

Read more in Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com