Polling Places: Voter Turnout Slow But Steady for Primaries
It’s been a slow and steady day at the polls. That’s according to many poll workers in our area.
A typical turnout means only one in five voters will cast a ballot. A number that motivated Joel Barr to head to his polling place.
“It’s my civic duty and apparently it’s not for everyone. Twenty percent? That’s bad.”
But slow and steady is the story of the day at Frazer United Methodist Church, where 8,000 people are registered to vote.
“About the same. Primary’s are anyone’s guess on what the turnout’s going to be like,” said Pat Bartoszewicz.
During primary elections, you can choose to vote the Republican or the Democratic ticket, but not both. It’s something poll workers say has confused some voters.
“Some of them have been disturbed by the fact that they can’t vote for one of the board of education or the legislature, but those people, we have to explain to them, that’s on the ballot in November,” said Leonard Shults, a veteran poll worker at Flowers Elementary School.
By lunch, just over 200 people had cast ballots. That’s out of a possible 2,000 voters. Still, Shults says he sees a positive trend.
“We see a lot of young people coming in too and that’s a beneficial thing for our country.”
Poll workers did not report any problems with the state’s new voter ID law. You have to have a picture identification and be registered to cast a ballot.
