Tuesday’s primary election generates little excitement, many yawns

By DAVID SKOLNICK

skolnick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

There is very little of interest on Tuesday’s primary ballot to bring voters to the poll, local elections board directors say.

Turnout is going to be low: about 30 percent in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, and between 20 percent and 25 percent in Columbiana County, they say.

“I don’t see any one issue or candidate driving turnout,” said Thomas McCabe, Mahoning County Board of Elections director. “It’s been slow.”

The state issues and primary races aren’t drawing much interest from local voters, election officials say.

The possible exception is the Democratic match-up for U.S. Senate between Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, they say. And even that race isn’t attracting much attention.

Though there is a hotly-contested Democratic primary for county commissioner and the county’s half-penny sales tax on Tuesday’s ballot, McCabe said lesser issues are drawing more interest.

Those issues, McCabe said, include:

• The Austintown school bond issue.

• The South range school tax renewal.

• Democratic precinct committee members with the winners voting for party chairman.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.