LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio — If you didn't know there was an election Tuesday, you're not alone. Only 6.9% of voters showed up to the polls for the August primary.
"I think a lot of voters were not just aware or they voted in May and didn't realize there was a part two, as I call it, to the May election," director of the Lucas County Board of Elections, Lavera Scott, said.
Voter turnout in the May primary was low in Lucas County, but the August primary numbers are even lower.
Due to issues with redistricting maps in the spring, there was a delay in some of the races, leading to the need for two primaries.
"This in unprecedented, in reference to having two primary elections within the same election cycle before general," Scott said.
It's not just Lucas County though. Wood County had a 4% voter turnout. Hancock county had 6%.
Scott says numbers like this are normal for a municipal election but not often seen during even numbered election years.
"Many people yesterday were even telling me, 'what we had an election today?'" State Representative Gary Click said.
The August primary cost the state $20 million. So was it worth it?
"It's always worth it to give people their say. However it was unnecessarily delayed. It did not have to be delayed until August 2," Click said.
For others, the cost is greater than money.
"It's more in the cost of do the citizens really believe in this democracy, do they really believe that their vote matters," State Representative Paula Hicks-Hudson said.
For those who didn't know there was an August primary, lawmakers feel that it's not your fault.
"You were simply not informed by the process, you were confused by the process and for that I think the State of Ohio, especially the Supreme Court, owes you a big apology," Click said.
There was also a Republican backed bill introduced in the State House that would allocate funds from Ohio's Supreme Court to pay for the election due to the inability to pass redistricting maps in time.