43
Turnout to be light despite GOP race
YOUNGSTOWN
Voter turnout in the Mahoning Valley for the March 6 primary election, even if there’s a competitive Republican presidential race, isn’t expected to be heavy, election officials say.
“There’s not a huge number of Republican registered voters in our county,” said Thomas McCabe, Mahoning County Board of Elections director. “It doesn’t drive our turnout that much.”
Republicans make up less than 10 percent of the 170,000 or so registered voters in Mahoning County.
What could bring voters out, McCabe said, are Democratic primaries for an open county-commissioner seat currently held by John McNally IV and for sheriff and prosecutor.
With competitive primaries only for the Ohio House 64th District seat (Democratic and Republican) and a Democratic primary for sheriff on the ballot in Trumbull County, turnout there should be between 40 percent and 50 percent, said Kelly Pallante, that county’s board of elections director.
And what could bring out voters more than the candidate races are tax issues in six school districts, she said.
Adam Booth, Columbiana County Board of Elections director, said he expects turnout next month to be less than it was this past November with state Issue 2 on the ballot. Turnout in Columbiana County in November was 48 percent.
“There’s only a few contested raises and only a few money issues,” he said. “There’s not a whole lot going on.”
Early voting started Tuesday and has been light in the Valley.
Early voting ends at 6 p.m. March 2, four days before people cast ballots at polling locations.
The Mahoning County Board of Elections will open Feb. 25, the Saturday before the March 2 early-voting deadline, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. That’s the only weekend day the board has scheduled to accommodate early voters.
“Without a large turnout, there’s no reason for extended hours” during early voting, said Joyce Kale-Pesta, Mahoning County elections board’s deputy director. “We’ll go week to week. If there is a large turnout, we’ll extend hours.”
But Kale-Pesta and McCabe said they don’t anticipate that happening.
The Trumbull board will meet Tuesday to decide if it will be open Feb. 25.
There are no plans to have extended hours in Columbiana County unless early-voter turnout is heavy, Booth said. He added heavy turnout isn’t expected.
Ohio is among 10 states having primaries or caucuses March 6, known as Super Tuesday.
There are 437 delegates up for grabs in the Super Tuesday states, including 66 in Ohio.
The polls in Ohio will open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.
Ohio has the second-largest number of delegates among the Super Tuesday states.
No. 1 is Georgia, the home state of Newt Gingrich, a Republican presidential candidate. Georgia has 76 delegates.
Also, Massachusetts, home of Mitt Romney, the current GOP frontrunner, is part of Super Tuesday and has 41 available delegates.
If you haven’t registered to vote in Ohio’s primary election, you’re last chance is Monday.
County boards of elections will remain open until 9 p.m. Monday, the final day to register.
The Mahoning County board is at the Oakhill Renaissance Center, 345 Oak Hill Ave., Youngstown. Trumbull’s board office is 2947 Youngstown Road SE, Warren, and Columbiana’s office is at 41 N. Park Ave., Lisbon.