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Voter turnout low in Bradford County
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Review Photo/C.J. Marshall Despite the fact voter turnout was light on Election Day Tuesday in Rome Borough, poll workers remained prepared to help anyone who showed up to cast their ballot. (Clockwise, from left) Judge of Elections Marie Fox, clerk Barbara Gerould, Minority Inspector of Elections Marilyn Horton, clerk Jean Phillips, and Majority Inspector of Elections Shirley Phillips wait patiently for voters to arrive.
By The Review
TOWANDA - Voter turnout was low on Election Day Tuesday in Bradford County, with 23.18 percent of the registered voters going to the polls.
According to unofficial results provided by the Bradford County Board of Elections, of the county's 40,344 registered voters, only 9,351 exercised their right to vote.
These results are typical because it's an off-election year, according to Marie Zbyszinski, director of the Bradford County Board of Elections.
"Unless there's a real contested local race, turnout is usually low," she said.
Although things were slow in most sections of Bradford County, poll workers at the Wyalusing Borough precinct reported the number of voters was actually steady throughout most of the day.
"We had people come here to vote that we've never seen before in our four years at the polls," said Pamela Burns, majority inspector of elections. "It made the day go faster. They just kept coming in."
By contrast, things were quiet in Rome Borough, with 43 people having voted as of 6 p.m.
Voter turnout was light in all three wards in Towanda Borough, despite contested borough council races in all three wards and a contested school board race in the Second and Third wards.
Election workers at some western Bradford County polling places reported low turnout Tuesday.
"Very, very, very light" was how Judge of Elections Yvonne Crimbring described turnout in Canton Township.
"Somebody said they wondered if we're open."
A total of 161 voters had showed up as of around 4 p.m.
She thought a lack of local contested races contributed to the light turnout. For example, a township supervisor term and a school board seat both had unopposed candidates in the township.
But, Crimbring, added, "it's your right to vote. It's just as important (to vote)."
In Troy Township, voter turnout was also low, Judge of Elections Pat Reynolds said. A total of 180 voters had showed up as of 4:30 p.m.
There was a local contested race in Troy Township, however, as Mindy Mercer and Jason Wilcox competed for a 6-year township supervisor seat.
But no one in Troy Township was on the ballot for 4-year and 2-year terms for Region 1 of the school board. Reynolds said Larry Grace was seeking write-in votes in the school board race. She said people were asking about how to cast a write-in vote.
Pauline Porter, judge of elections in West Burlington Township, said voter turnout was "kind of slow," with 68 voters showing up as of 5 p.m.
In Canton Borough, where Republican John Vineski and Democrat Janette Walters were vying for the Canton Borough mayor seat, voter turnout was "pretty steady," Judge of Elections Karen Robertson said. She said 140 voters had come to the polls as of 3:40 p.m.
"I think, for a local election, we're pretty average," she said.
Voter Laura Brann, who was at the polls in Canton Borough, said all the races on the ballot influenced her decision to show up and vote.
Zbyszinski said that only two minor glitches occurred during election that slowed things down a bit. She said poll workers in a couple of precincts forget to bring in the electronic cards used by the machines to record votes. The workers had to return to their respective precincts to get the cards. The director said they also had some problems with printers slowly turning out results. But otherwise, nothing major occurred, she said.
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