MOUNT VERNON — Voter turnout was 26.01% in Tuesday’s May primary, slightly higher than the 25% Board of Elections Director James Blazer anticipated.
In the only contested candidate race, Republican incumbent Bill Pursel garnered 77.7% of the vote for county commissioner. Challenger Christa Ciotola had 22.3%.
“I appreciate the time that my Knox County family has taken to support me. Let’s continue to be an uplifting community seeking the best for all Knox Countians,” Pursel said.
“God bless Knox County. Thank you to all; I am humbled and grateful for all of your support.”
Ciotola acknowledged her candidacy was a long shot.
“[Bill] is an incumbent; he’s been in there a long time, and he has a lot of name recognition that I don’t have,” she said.
“But I don’t regret running. I was an alternative for some people who wanted some change. Congratulations to Bill. I hope he’s able to recover his health and serve Knox County well.”
Pursel will face write-in candidate Chuck Rogers in the November election.
Juvenile/Probate Judge Jay Nixon and County Auditor Sarah Thorne were unopposed and will run unopposed in November.
Republican Mark Hiner and Democrat Scott Grund were unopposed in their primaries for the State Rep 98th District and will face off in November.
The district covers the eastern half of Knox, Coshocton, and Holmes counties.
Fire & EMS levies pass
Voters passed Central Ohio Joint fire District’s 5.5-mill renewal by a margin of 51.16% to 48.84%.
Chief Mark McCann said he is incredibly grateful.
“I would like to thank our community for its continued support. It is our mission to protect every person who lives in or passes through the Central Ohio Joint Fire District, and we can only achieve this with our community’s help,” he said.
“Thank you on behalf of the Central Ohio Joint Fire District’s board, officers, and firefighters.”
Here are the results of the township fire and EMS levies:
•Liberty Township’s five-year, 4.5-mill renewal for fire and EMS
Passed: 59.34% to 40.66%
•Fredericktown Community Joint Ambulance District’s five-year, 1-mill renewal levy
Passed: 63.49% to 36.51%
•Morris Township’s three-year, 4-mill fire renewal
Passed: 66.43% to 33.57%
•Homer Fire Licking & Knox Counties fire levy renewal
Passed in Knox County 66.47% to 33.53%
Centerburg voters handily passed two liquor options by margins of 73.31% to 26.69% and 68.8% to 31.20%.
All results are unofficial until certified.
Voting goes smooth despite power outage
Elections Director Blazer said early voting was about what he expected.
“There was a surge toward the end. We estimate the overall turnout to be somewhere around 25%,” he said.
The 2,799 early votes included 2,262 cast at the Board of Elections and 537 received by mail. However, 2,865 citizens requested early ballots.
Early voters included 997 Democratic, 1,698 Republican, and four Libertarian, and 100 nonpartisan.
As far as Tuesday’s voting, Blazer said, “Some precincts have been strong, some precincts have been lower.”
Overall, voting went smoothly, but two polling locations lost power during the storm that rolled through around 5:30 p.m.
“They went into emergency procedures, and people continued voting. They were without power for about a half hour or 45 minutes, maybe a little bit longer,” Blazer said.
“We took out a couple of high-powered flashlights, and then the power came back on. It was all good; that’s what’s supposed to happen.”
The BOE did, however, deploy its VOTER (Voter Onsite Tech Emergency Response) vehicle on Monday. The vehicle carries essential tools and systems to support polling sites in crisis.
“One tabulator machine fell over and broke a seal. We were concerned that the jarring motion in the delivery truck might cause problems,” Blazer said.
Blazer and Deputy Director Jack Goodman used the VOTER vehicle to transport spare equipment to the polling location.
They tested, resealed, and recertified the equipment, and returned the spare piece to the Board of Elections.
