Muskingum County observed its lowest voter turnout in nearly 25 years during a special August primary election held Tuesday.

Many candidates ran unopposed and the only contested races were those for positions on the State Central Committee.

According to the unofficial results from the Muskingum County Board of Elections, only 2,744 individuals out of 54,528 registered voters cast a ballot. Less than 2,000 voted in person Tuesday.

A previous publication by Y-City News found that special elections are especially susceptible to lower turnouts. In this case, it was just over five percent of registered voters who participated, the lowest locally in the past quarter-century.

Over the past decades, state officials have tried and been successful at limiting special elections, due in part mostly to the extra cost and low turnout when they are conducted.

This particular election was necessary due to lawsuits holding back Ohio’s House and Senate elections amid redistricting contentions between the two major parties.

Current House of Representatives Member Adam Holmes was the sole filer for his position locally, which now covers all of Muskingum County, no Democrat filed, thus he will run again uncontested this fall.

Tuscarawas County Commissioner Al Landis was the sole Republican filler for the newly realigned 31st Senate District, which covers all of Muskingum County. Again, no Democrat filed and he will also run without an opponent this November.

Jason M. Stevens, Douglas S. Wills, Martha J. Campbell and Antonia J. Blake were the winners of the State Central Committee contests.

To learn more about Adam Holmes and Al Landis, be sure to check out our article on them.