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Voter turnout will be low, Mahoning Valley election officials say
YOUNGSTOWN
Pointing to few exciting races on the ballot, election officials in the Mahoning Valley say they expect low voter turnout for this election — likely the poorest for a gubernatorial year in memory.
“I don’t see anything really driving turnout,” said Joyce Kale-Pesta, director of the Mahoning County Board of Elections. “The people who always vote will vote,” and many who aren’t regular voters won’t cast ballots.
Adam Booth, director of the Columbiana County Board of Elections, said the governor’s race between incumbent Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, and Democrat Ed FitzGerald isn’t helping turnout.
“There’s a drop-off because of the top of the ticket with the governor having a comfortable” lead, Booth said. “People aren’t as engaged because the top of the ticket for the Democrats isn’t competitive.”
Jodi F. Dibble, Trumbull County Board of Elections’ deputy director, said: “Nothing is driving voters.”
Turnout in Mahoning County will be 40 percent to 42 percent, Kale-Pesta said.
“That’s probably high,” she added.
In Trumbull, Dibble predicts 40 percent turnout, and Booth expects turnout of 43 percent in Columbiana County.
If history is any indication, predicted turnout from election officials is usually higher than the actual figure.
In 2010, turnout in Mahoning County was predicted to be 58 to 59 percent. It actually was 48 percent.
That same year, the prediction in Trumbull was 60 percent with actual turnout at 50 percent. In Columbiana, turnout was expected to be 50 percent to 55 percent, but it actually was 48 percent.
Even if election officials are correct with their predictions, the turnout percentages for this general election will also be lower than the 1998, 2002 and 2006 gubernatorial years, according to records kept by The Vindicator and the Ohio secretary of state. Meanwhile, those who want to vote early can do so today from 1 to 5 p.m. and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday.
Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Ohio on Election Day.
About 17,000 people in Mahoning County are expected to vote by mail or in person at the board of elections for this election. In 2010, 21,596 voted before Election Day.
About 13,000 to 14,000 in Trumbull are expected to vote before Tuesday compared with about 15,000 in 2010.
The expectation in Columbiana is about 5,500 people casting ballots before Election Day. That’s more than the 4,949 who voted early in 2010.
But Booth maintains there won’t be a higher turnout this year compared with 2010 primarily because the secretary of state mailed applications for absentee ballots to every registered voter this year and that wasn’t done four years ago.
“It doesn’t increase overall voters. It just changes how people vote,” he said.