Voter turnout light for primary

OREGON — Voting was typically light in Ogle County with few contested contests on Tuesday’s ballot.

“It seems to be a little light,” Ogle County Clerk Laura Cook said on Tuesday afternoon.

A total of 8,074 ballots were cast in Ogle County, which has 31,659 registered voters, according to the State Board of Elections’ website. That puts the turnout at 25.5%.

In the 2018 primary, turnout was 20.4% (8,468 ballots cast), and in the 2020 primary, it was 30.8% (10,084 ballots cast).

“The last time I worked with the Biden/Trump election and it was like, ‘Whoa!’ over the top,” said Jan Martin, an election judge in Mt. Morris on Tuesday. “There was record turnout. So anything else is going to seem less.”

Polo election judge David Bucher agreed.

“It’s been steady, but nothing like the presidential election,” Bucher said around 11:40 a.m. on Tuesday. “November will be a lot busier.”

New voting equipment made an impressive premiere and smoothed the process, Cook said.

Cook said more than 600 voters cast early ballots prior to Tuesday’s election and 280 were vote by mail ballots. The State Board of Elections’ website reported 781 early ballots were cast in Ogle County.

“The election workers are all pleasant and seem to know their job,” Mt. Morris voter Deb Beard said. “I think it’s important for us to vote if we want to get those people in there that we want.”