Voter frustration to play out at polls

COLUMBUS (AP) — Voter frustration with Washington, Wall Street and the welfare line was to begin playing out Tuesday in a state primary heavy on tea party and economic themes.

Early turnout was light as Republicans and Democrats made their picks to run in the fall election in a U.S. Senate contest, two dozen congressional primaries, a handful of legislative races and two statewide offices. Anti-mainstream momentum has led to two third-party runoffs — for the Libertarian and Constitution nominations — in central Ohio congressional races.

Also Tuesday, Ohio voters were to decide two statewide issues: the renewal of the Third Frontier high-tech jobs initiative and the relocation of a Columbus casino approved last fall from the trendy downtown Arena District to a struggling West Side neighborhood. Both issues have received broad bipartisan support in campaigns focused on their job-growing potential. Neither has any organized opposition.

Workers were standing around with little to do as voters trickled in to a polling station in Anderson Township, outside Cincinnati. At a campus polling precinct in suburban Cleveland, 10 voters cast ballots in the first 90 minutes Tuesday — three Republicans and seven Democrats.

In the Democratic Senate primary, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher have focused debate on creating jobs and improving the ailing economy in Ohio, where unemployment is at 11 percent.

Heading into election day, Fisher was ahead in the money race and in the polls, but a significant percentage of voters indicated in an end-stretch Quinnipiac University poll that they still could change their minds.

Gov. Ted Strickland endorsed Fisher for the seat, but the Ohio Democratic Party stopped short of choosing sides in the highly charged face-off.