News Photo by Steve Schulwitz The Alpena County Board of Canvassers meets Wednesday to certify the votes from Tuesday’s special election.

ALPENA — Only a small portion of Alpena County’s registered voters on Tuesday decided the fate of the library millage request that impacts all property owners in the county.

The 0.25-mill property tax for the Alpena County Library passed by a large, 2,284-to-938 spread, but less than 17% of eligible voters in the county cast ballots on the issue. The tax will cost the owner of a $100,000 house about $12.50 a year for the next 20 years.

According to reports received from the Alpena County Clerk’s Office, of the 19,434 registered voters in the county, 3,222 voted either at a polling station or via absentee ballot on Tuesday.

The library tax passed in all precincts in the county but two: Ossineke and Wellington townships.

In Alpena Township, precincts No. 1 and No. 2 each had voter participation rates over 20%. The percentages were lower in the city, as precincts No.3 and No. 4, which are combined, had 20% turnout, but precinct No. 1 reported only about 8% of registered voters going to the polls.

The highest turnout in the county was in Green Township, where about 23% of voters came out to decide not only the library millage but also township taxes for roads and emergency medical services.

Alpena County Clerk Bonnie Friedrichs said low turnout is often seen during special elections when there are only a few items on ballots.

Turnout Tuesday was a significantly lower than in the last election, in May, when the only question on the ballot was a countywide property tax request for Alpena Public Schools to cover the cost of massive school improvement projects. The school millage request — which would have raised more than $60 million over 25 years — failed 2,549 to 4,250, with about 33% of registered voters turning out.

The higher cost of the schools’ request — an estimated 1.9-mill tax hike, versus the library’s 0.25-mill renewal — could have spurred higher voter turnout in the May race.

Overall, Friedrichs said, the election went fairly smoothly, without delays in getting results.

“We had some new procedures that were put in place for this election, and I think everything went real well,” she said. “The turnout was light, but that is to be expected somewhat for a special election with only one item on the ballot. Things went really good.”

ABSENTEE VOTING BOOM

The popularity of voting absentee continues to climb in Alpena Township and other municipalities.

In the township, 627 absentee ballots were returned, which surpassed the number tabulated at polling locations, township Clerk Michelle Palevich said.

She said township officials anticipate more people utilizing absentee voting in future elections because it’s easy and because of a permanent absentee voting list the township has compiled. Palevich said there are 944 registered voters on that list, and it is growing.

Before elections, applications are sent to those on the list and then ballots are sent afterward. Palevich said absentee voting allows some people who may have a difficult time getting to the polls to vote and also reduces work for poll workers.

“This is the second straight election where we had more people vote absentee than at the polls,” Palevich said. “It is more work for us in the office, but we enjoy it, because we get to see and visit with residents when they drop off their ballots. It is better than being locked up in the office and not seeing anybody.”

There were far fewer absentee voters in the city, where 289 absentee ballots were received. That number is expected to climb, however, as the city continues to compile its own list of absentee voters. Alpena Clerk Anna Soik said people who want to be added to the list can contact her office.

LOW TURNOUT IN PI, TOO

Turnout was light in Presque Isle County on Tuesday, as well.

There, voters in most of the county decided a controversial wind turbine ordinance, narrowly passing it, 322 to 303.

The vote did not include Rogers City, Posen or Onaway, but 11 other precincts in the county.

The turnout was a touch over 13% of the total number of registered voters in the areas where ballots were cast on Tuesday.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.

Tuesday’s election, by the numbers

∫ 16.58%: Voter turnout Alpena County; by comparison, 32.92% turned out for Alpena Public Schools’ bond proposal in May

∫ 22.95%: Turnout in Green Township, Alpena County’s highest turnout

∫ 13.4%: Turnout in the areas of Preque Isle County where votes were cast Tuesday

Source: County clerks