With many more candidates and issues on the Nov. 2 ballot, election officials in Mahoning and Trumbull counties expect turnout to be better than it was for the primary last week.

But they also expressed great disappointment with how poor turnout was for Tuesday’s primary.

It was only 8.8 percent in Trumbull County– the lowest it’s been in more than a decade — and 13.8 percent in Mahoning County.

“I was shocked and disappointed by the low turnout in the primary,” said Stephanie Penrose, director of the Trumbull County Board of Elections. “It’s disappointing from a work perspective as we work so hard for each election. It’s also disappointing that voters didn’t want to vote for local candidates who decide important issues.”

Mahoning elections Director Joyce Kale-Pesta said: “I can’t get it through people’s heads that local government is more important than federal government. Voting is very important, particularly for local government. I don’t know what drives people to come out for president and not for local elections. Either candidates don’t get the vote out or people are apathetic. It’s sad.”

Except for a handful of places in the Mahoning Valley that had school tax issues on Tuesday’s ballot, there wasn’t a primary election for townships and villages. Only Youngstown, Struthers and Niles had citywide primaries and those were for Democratic races.

On the Nov. 2 ballot, there will be races for two trustees in each township, with most school boards having three open seats, along with several tax issues expected.

But if candidates run unopposed, particularly in the bigger townships, that could drive down turnout, Penrose and Kale-Pesta said.

“There will be more for people to vote for in the general election,” Kale-Pesta said. “School issues drive out more voters than anything else in local elections. More candidates on the ballot drive people out to vote.”

While the Democratic primary for Youngstown mayor didn’t attract many voters, Kale-Pesta is hopeful the general election race will bring city residents to the polls.

The race will pit incumbent Jamael Tito Brown, who won the Democratic primary, against Republican Tracey Winbush with two candidates — John White and Richard V. Hill — filing as independents. The board has to certify them before they can get on the ballot.

Penrose said turnout in odd-numbered years for the general election in Trumbull County is often about twice as much as the primary. But with the primary having only 8.8 percent turnout, it doesn’t bode well for the general.

“If it’s double, it’s less than 20 percent,” she said. “That’s so horrible. I sure hope we can get up higher. It depends a lot on the issues” on the ballot.

PAST TURNOUT

In Trumbull County in 2015, the turnout for the primary was 16.7 percent and jumped to 47.3 percent in the general. But, Penrose said, that was largely caused by the statewide medical marijuana proposal on the fall ballot.

In 2017, the turnout for the primary was 15.9 percent and 30.9 percent in the general. In 2019, turnout for the primary was 14.7 percent and 30.3 percent in the general.

Penrose said she didn’t know if the county’s turnout in this general election could get above 30 percent.

“People aren’t interested in their local races so maybe if there are more tax levies it will bring people out in the fall,” she said.

There also will be village council elections on the fall ballot, she said.

“But those races haven’t created interest from voters,” Penrose said.

Regarding poor voter turnout, Penrose said: “I think it’s apathy. I question it all the time because everything is so politicized right now, you’d think people would want to come out and vote. But all interest is lost” except in presidential elections.

In Mahoning County in 2015, turnout for the primary was 18.4 percent and 44.2 percent for the general, the latter also driven by the medical marijuana statewide charter amendment.

In 2017, turnout for the primary was 19.3 percent and 33.3 percent in the general. In 2019, turnout for the primary was 10.7 percent and 26.6 percent in the general. Turnout was lower than normal in the 2019 primary because there was a countywide sales tax renewal and most voters in townships typically don’t have anything on the primary ballot in odd-numbered years.

Turnout on Tuesday was 13.8 percent in Mahoning County.

Thomas McCabe, Mahoning County Board of Elections deputy director, said he wouldn’t be surprised if the county broke 30 percent in the general election.

“I think turnout could crawl back up,” he said. “Turnout depends on the large townships. It depends on how much interest is generated by trustee races and school board races and the Youngstown mayor’s race. Issues will also help turnout.”

As for why turnout in the primary was so poor, McCabe said: “It’s always bad, but there wasn’t a lot of interest in the races. It’s hard to explain what motivates voters to come out to vote.”

dskolnick@vindy.com

dskolnick@tribtoday.com