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STEUBENVILLE -- Ohio voters will be making decisions about the officials and issues that have the greatest impacts on their lives when they head to the polls Tuesday.
With no statewide or federal issues on the ballot, they will be choosing who will represent them on village and city councils, boards of township trustees and school boards. Voters in many parts of Jefferson County also will be asked to make decisions on one or several of 28 issues and levies.
Officials with the Jefferson County Board of Elections are expecting Tuesday's turnout to be around 33 percent of the 46,900 eligible voters.
"Of course, we would like it to be higher, but that's the number we have," said Robert Gale, board director. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., he added. Among the most interesting races is being conducted in Wintersville, where residents will be choosing a mayor. Democrat Robert Martin Sr., a longtime member of council and council president who has been serving as interim mayor since Gale resigned from his village role in April, is facing Republican Mike Petrella. There also are five candidates running for four seats on Village Council.
Residents of the 2nd, 4th and 6th wards in Steubenville will be voting for members of City Council, while residents of Toronto will find four candidates seeking three seats on City Council and residents of Mingo Junction will find three candidates running for two Village Council seats. Rayland, Empire and Yorkville residents will be asked to choose four members of council from five candidates.
There will be other contested races in several townships, including Island Creek, Mount Pleasant, Wayne, Wells and Springfield, where voters are being asked to elect two from a list of five candidates. Saline Township has four candidates running for two seats and Cross Creek has three candidates seeking two seats.
Four candidates are seeking three seats on the Buckeye Local board of education, while three candidates are seeking two seats on the Indian Creek board of education.
Gale said he hopes everyone who votes Tuesday will show patience while waiting in line to be processed.
"We have a lot of hard-working poll workers," Gale said. "They are there to make sure the election will be run fair.