Voter turnout remained low across several Erie polling locations Tuesday, as election workers reported slower-than-usual traffic throughout the day.
At the polling precinct inside Jefferson Elementary School, the Judge of Elections said turnout in past years has typically reached around 50 percent, but this year officials were hoping participation would climb to at least 20 percent. Judge of Elections Lisa Smith explained why she thought turnout was low, “That people aren’t running running, people want to run, or people just aren’t enthusiastic.”
Meanwhile, at Trinity Lutheran Church on East 38th Street, their Judge of Election described the day as steady but slow, with roughly ten to twelve voters coming through each hour.
Their Judge of Election said their biggest issue was not having enough volunteers. “We really need more volunteers,” said Judge of Elections Daniel Austin. “Every year the elections office has to scramble to get good people to work, so we need a lot more volunteers.”
At Erie High School, another polling location, turnout had only reached about five percent. Poll workers said they were hoping to see that number rise to at least ten percent by the close of polls. Despite the low turnout, officials said they were encouraged by the number of first-time voters participating this election cycle.
Most polling locations didn’t report any technology issues.