LUCAS COUNTY

Primary election turnout is very low

5/7/2014

Turnout in Tuesday’s primary election in Lucas County was low, even by gubernatorial primary standards.

Final election turnout was not available, but late in the evening — with just over 70 percent of the vote counted —it appeared that about 6.5 percent of Lucas County’s 312,412 registered voters had cast ballots. The turnout in Ohio’s last gubernatorial primary, in 2010, was about 17 percent in Lucas County.

Elections officials Tuesday night could not report 100 percent of the vote because five data cards were missing from where the votes were being counted at the county’s early voting center.

Results for the Toledo City Council District 2 seat representing South Toledo were not to be posted online until all other election results were counted and released, Lucas County Elections Director Gina Kaczala said.

Ms. Kaczala said the board of elections had to “create two different databases.” The second database is exclusively for the District 2 council race.

Voters in District 2 cast paper ballots because the city’s filing deadline did not allow time to load the race onto voting machines.

Other scattered problems were reported, including a delay of more than 30 minutes in the start of voting at a polling place at Westgate Chapel in Sylvania Township because the Republican presiding judge did not show up on time, according to Deputy Director Daniel DeAngelis.

Elections officials said a new presiding judge was sent to collect paperwork. Mr. DeAngelis said voting started after 7 a.m. Polls were supposed to open at 6:30 a.m.

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