Low voter turnout reported on May primary election day

Sue and John Fitzgerald cast their ballots today at the polling place inside Beverly Elementary School.

As of late today, 6.5 percent of Lucas County’s 312,412 registered voters had turned out for the election, Elections Director Gina Kaczala said.

Polls in Ohio and Michigan have now closed.

The turnout in Ohio’s last gubernatorial primary, in 2010, was about 17 percent in Lucas County.

PHOTO GALLERY: Click here to view

RELATED: Follow the results on The Blade's data page

RELATED: Cleveland Dem to face GOP Ohio governor this fall

Elections officials have reported a few scattered problems, including a delay of more than 30 minutes in the start of voting at a polling place at Westgate Chapel in Sylvania Township caused by the Republican presiding judge who did not show up on time. Elections officials said a new presiding judge was sent out to collect the paperwork from the no-show judge.

Deputy director Dan DeAngelis said voting started after 7 a.m. Polls were supposed to open at 6:30 a.m. He said he did not know how many people were delayed or unable to vote but estimated fewer than 10.

Ms. Kaczala said a power outage on Alexis Road knocked out power to a polling place this afternoon. She said the poll workers were directed to use paper ballots to conserve the battery power in the machines. She said power was expected to be restored about 6 p.m.

She said a continuing source of confusion all day has been the necessity of a paper ballot in the special election for Council District 2 in South Toledo.

The city’s candidate deadline was March 27, only five days before the start of early voting on April 1, so it was not possible to load the city’s four candidates into the voting machines, Ms. Kaczala said.

Voters in South Toledo are picking their representative on council for the two years remaining in the term of former District 2 Councilman D. Michael Collins, now mayor. The candidates are endorsed Republican Joe Celusta, endorsed Democrat Matt Cherry, independent Marcia Helman, and Democrat Robert Vasquez.

Other elections decided today include both Democrats and Republicans running for Lucas County Commissioner and Domestic Relations judge and three Democrats running for an open seat on the Court of Common Pleas. Democrats are electing a nominee for governor, and Republicans are electing nominees for the 9th Congressional District and the 47th House District. Voters in Sylvania and Bedford, Michigan, school districts deciding a new school levies.

Contact Tom Troy at: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058 and on Twitter @TomFTroy.