Although voter turnout was above average across a majority of individual precincts in Washington County, overall turnout was 71 percent, less than predicted, and less than the 80 percent averaged in the last election for Ohio governor.
"I'm shocked," said Peggy Byers, director of the county board of elections. "We did not expect this; we expected a far higher number."
Curiously, every polling location questioned after the polls closed experienced above-average voting.
"Fantastic," said Joan Guinther of Vincent, presiding judge in Dunham Township. "When we opened the polls, we had a dozen people waiting. I would say our turnout was maybe 80 percent."
Guinther has been a poll worker 10 years and said the normal turnout is 35 percent to 40 percent in the township.
"We were busy all day and steady," said Cyndi Booth, a poll worker only a year.
Normally the precinct has about 26 absentee or early voters. This time around there were 194, Guinther said.
As Vi Porter and Judith Taylor left the Washington County Courthouse Tuesday night after delivering their precinct's ballots, the Marietta 3A poll workers said turnout was the highest either one could ever remember.
"It was a constant stream of voters, we would estimate over 81 percent," Taylor said.
Porter said there were no lines and no glitches at the polling location on Mill Creek Road at the First Church of the Nazarene.
Some voters were frustrated after receiving provisional ballots because they had not voted for a number of years and their names had been taken off the rolls. A number of others received provisional ballots because they had not registered their new addresses with the Board of Elections, Byers said.
If a voter's residence is verified, the provisional ballot will count as normal, according to the Ohio Secretary of State's office. Byers said it will be at least 10 days before the provisional ballots are tallied.
At Precinct 4C in Marietta, there were a few disappointed voters who missed a notice that their polling location changed from the Washington County Public Library to the Junior Fair Building at the county fairgrounds.
According to Hilda Goodman, presiding judge, voters were "pretty patient" when they got word at the library that their precinct had moved. Turnout at the new location was actually higher than usual, said Nancy Riley, a precinct worker.
"A lot of times we will have 65 to 75 percent turnout," Riley said. "This time we estimate 78 to 80 percent."
Other precincts reported similar turnouts.
"We had 233 today and usually have about 100 voters," said Rose Davis, a poll worker in the Lowell precinct, which votes at the fire house. "It went real smooth - tiring, but exciting."
Jim O'Connell, 22, of Marietta voted early Friday in his second presidential election.
"There was a little line at the courthouse but it wasn't a bad experience. It went fine," he said Tuesday.
Outside the Washington County Courthouse Tuesday night, a steady stream of cars pulled in and out, delivering ballots from throughout the county.
Ben Sauer, with Boy Scout Troop 216, was helping shuttle ballots and voting equipment from cars to the elections office. He said when he voted early Tuesday at Pinehurst Church there were 50 to 60 voters in line.
"I couldn't believe how many people were there," Sauer said.
The day, overall, was mostly glitch-free.
A semi-tractor trailer carrying coal fell on its side near a Warren Township polling place on Tuesday afternoon.
The truck driver, Scott Armstrong, 26, of Beverly said he had to swerve to avoid a vehicle pulling into the Lighthouse Baptist Church, where two Warren precincts are located and ended up in the ditch on the side of the road opposite the polling place.
"I didn't have any other choice but to go over there," Armstrong said. "I went into the ditch and fell over."
The truck's load of coal spilled over the hill across from the church. No injuries were reported, and Armstrong was cited for failure to control.
Firefighters reported the church entrance was kept open and voting continued throughout the day. At least one EMS responder said she was taking a break from cleanup to cast her own ballot.
The accident occurred at around 2 p.m., according to reports, and the truck had been towed by 6 p.m., although the coal continued to be cleaned from the side of the road.
When Bryon and Joyce Binegar of Newport arrived at their polling location in March, they didn't get to vote because the precinct ran out of ballots.
"My husband protested, but we still missed voting," Joyce Binegar said. "We were disappointed."
Understandably, the Binegars worried a bit as they headed for the Independence Township building Tuesday evening to cast their votes.
"It went well and there seemed to be enough ballots," Joyce Binegar said. "We had a pretty short line and I was number 98 to vote. It didn't take long."
After some county precincts turned up short on ballots in March, the board of elections made certain there were additional ballots at the polling places for this election.
There are 716 provisional ballots still to be counted, although it appeared they would not change the outcome of any local races.
At 4C in Marietta, Nancy Riley said the M-100 ballot counting machine attempted to "eat" a few ballots, but quickly straightened out.
"Everything is fine and dandy," Dean Hoffart, 80, of Marietta, said about his voting experience Tuesday. "There was no line. I voted at 7 a.m. It was fine, no problems."
When asked if he's pleased at the outcome of the election, Hoffart said, "I take it the way it comes."
Patrick Cooley contributed.
