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Turnout for primary in Mahoning Valley is expected to be about 25 percent
YOUNGSTOWN
About three-quarters of registered voters in the Mahoning Valley will stay home for the May 8 primary, election officials say.
“It’s been so dead like there’s not even an election,” said Stephanie Penrose, Trumbull County Board of Elections director. “We really haven’t had much activity around here. If the interest to now is any indication, I don’t think it’s going to be a busy election.”
Penrose expects turnout in her county for the primary to be between 20 percent and 25 percent.
“We’re not seeing a lot of interest in terms of registration and absentee applications,” said Thomas McCabe, deputy director of the Mahoning County Board of Elections. “I don’t see a lot of people interested in the primary even with a favorite son [Democrat Joe Schiavoni] running for governor.”
Turnout in Mahoning should be about 22 percent to 25 percent, McCabe said.
It should be about 24 percent to 25 percent in Columbiana County, said Adam Booth, its elections director.
Early voting starts Tuesday with boards able to start processing absentee votes by mail that day. Military and overseas voting is already underway.
Early voting at election boards is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, from April 16 to 20 and from April 23 to 27. In-person voting hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 30 to May 4.
On May 5, the Saturday before the primary, in-person voting hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; on May 6, the Sunday before the primary, hours are 1 to 5 p.m.
The final day for early in-person voting is May 7 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Mahoning County Board of Elections is in Oakhill Renaissance Place, 345 Oak Hill Ave. in Youngstown.
Trumbull’s board is at 2947 Youngstown Road SE in Warren, and Columbiana County’s board office is at 7989 Dickey Drive in Lisbon.
The polls in Ohio are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. May 8, the day of the primary.
Meanwhile, county election boards will be open until 9 p.m. Monday, the last day to register.
State law requires the boards to stay open until that time on the final day to register.