Turnout in odd-year primaries is typically bad, and this was no exception.

It was 9.76 percent in Mahoning County and 15.32 percent in Trumbull County.

Those aren’t percentages of county residents or even all registered voters. That’s just those who were eligible to vote.

In Mahoning County, there were 48,825 people who were eligible to vote in the primary. Of that number, 4,763 voted.

It was a little better in Trumbull County.

Of the 85,454 registered voters eligible to vote in Trumbull, 13,090 voted.

Stephanie Penrose, Trumbull County Board of Elections director, had predicted 15 percent turnout before early voting started. But as early voting was ending, she lowered her expectation to 12 percent because turnout was so poor.

“Is it crazy that poor turnout was considered good? Yes,” Penrose said. “It’s sad. You’re voting for people who make your every-day decisions about fixing your potholes and sidewalks and hiring police. It’s insanity. But it’s typical of an odd-year election. We have never had good turnout for odd-year primaries or big turnout in November,” except when there’s a major statewide issue.

“We have never had good turnout for odd-year primaries during the 21 years I’ve been here,” she said.

Tom McCabe, Mahoning County Board of Elections director, had expected 20 percent turnout before the start of early voting and then lowered it to 12 percent last week.

It failed to break 10 percent in Mahoning.

“Maybe weather played a factor,” McCabe said. “There wasn’t a lot of interest in these races. No one came out to vote in Youngstown. This was an unusual election because of a lot of unopposed races and races that didn’t interest people. This was a perfect storm of a lack of opposed candidates and not interesting races. It was a combination of apathy and lack of candidates.”

He added: “Maybe it’s an aberration. It depends year to year.”

Turnout from the previous three odd-year primaries never reached 20 percent in either county.

In the 2021 primary, turnout in Trumbull was 8.87 percent and was 13.99 percent in Mahoning. In the 2019 primary, turnout was 14.68 percent in Trumbull and 10.77 percent in Mahoning. During that primary, there was a countywide sales tax on the ballot in Mahoning County and it still didn’t attract voters.

In 2017, turnout in Trumbull was 15.86 percent and 19.34 percent in Mahoning.

Townships and certain villages that don’t hold odd-year primaries occasionally use them to get tax issues passed.

With turnout so low, many of them work to organize their supporters to back the measures and rightfully determine that the tax issue will fly under the radar of people who aren’t used to odd-year primaries. Even communities that have odd-year primaries put tax issues on the ballot because of low turnout.

Except for a tie vote that currently exists in Beloit, in an election that had 98 total ballots cast and one potential vote still waiting to arrive, all other tax levies on Tuesday’s ballot in communities in the two counties that don’t have odd-year primaries met with success from the few voters who came out.

Turnout usually picks up in the general election during odd-years, but is only what would be considered strong when there is a hot-button statewide issue.

That appears to be the case as those seeking to add abortion rights to the state constitution are gathering signatures to get on the Nov. 7 ballot.

There is also the possibility of an Aug. 8 special election to change the threshold to pass constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60 percent. Turnout for that election would likely be poor.

The Ohio Senate has approved putting the measure on the ballot while the state House still is considering it. The House deadline for approval is Wednesday.

The General Assembly last year voted to eliminate special August elections with a few exceptions. This isn’t one of them.

The possible reversal has met opposition from current election officials as well as past governors and attorneys general on both sides of the political aisle.

Penrose said: “I’m angry at the August election that we would have for two years in a row. This is the same Legislature that voted to get rid of August elections a few months ago. That makes you hot under the collar. It’s not the issue itself. It’s the principle of the thing ä having an August election right after they agreed to eliminate them.”