Boards of Elections Report Strong Turnout, Few Problems

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The boards of elections offices in Trumbull and Columbiana counties this afternoon both report brisk activity at their precincts.

At stake in Tuesday’s midterm elections are the slate of statewide offices including governor, one of the state’s two U.S. senators, all of its representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives and representation in the Ohio General Assembly.

Also being determined are several local races and issues, including judgeships, school levies and city charter amendments.

Trumbull and Columbiana county elections officials both say voting is steady and largely without incident.

Precincts in Trumbull County are reporting “heavy turnout,” said Stephanie Penrose, director of the Trumbull County Board of Elections, this afternoon.

Activity is particularly heavy in Liberty Township, where she sent an additional e-poll book to help accelerate the flow of voters, she said. There is also heavy traffic in Niles, driven by interest in a school levy, she said.

A total of 20,956 absentees have been cast so far in the county, including those delivered in Tuesday’s mail. The total number of absentee ballots returned to the board offices in Warren was 12,920, she said. The remainder of the absentee ballots were cast in person during the early voting period or were from military personnel or nursing home residents.

Poll workers in Columbiana County are also reporting steady turnout, “higher than what they would have expected in this type of election year, or what they’re used to,” said Adam Booth, elections director there.

“It’s not going to be presidential level but higher than the last three governor’s races in terms of turnout,” he said.

The only problems being reported were typical ones, such as political signs and campaign volunteers being too close, he said. There were some issues with some machines early in the morning and a couple of polling places that didn’t open promptly at 6:30 a.m., “but nothing that has been disastrous,” he said.

At the Board of Elections office, phones have been busy with both poll workers and voters calling with questions, he said.

Penrose said her workers have taken a few provisional ballots at the Trumbull offices, but “not as many as I expected, to be honest with you,” she said.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.