TURNOUT

I voted at 2 p.m. at precinct 15F, at Denison Elementary in the Archwood-Denison area. There are 1,047 registered voters in 15F. I was voter number 54.

The election judges said the trickle of voters looked just like the school levy in August. Total ballots cast in that election: 87.

I think they may be exaggerating a little, but it still looked awfully slow for a beautiful day, with hotly contested primary races for both Mayor and City Council.

Update: Apparently this is the story all over the city.

Update: My 8:30 instant analysis, with Jackson holding 50% of the 5400 votes counted so far... low turnout favors the guy with a turnout campaign. That's Jackson. He'll be the big fish in tonight's little turnout pond.

Final comment: My precinct's election judges weren't that far off. The citywide turnout today was only about 53,000 -- much closer to the 43,000 who voted in August's levy election than to the nearly 85,000 who showed up for the mayoral primary four years ago. In my ward, Ward 15, only 3,200 people cast ballots in the very tight, very visible Council primary... barely 500 more than turned out for the "invisible" school levy.

Both Jackson and Campbell need to think long and hard about why this campaign is connecting with so few Cleveland citizens.

(Speaking of that tight Ward 15 Council race, it had one of the few surprising results of the evening. Former Old Brooklyn CDC director Brian Cummins, running his first race with no significant outside allies or endorsements, edged out the very campaign-savvy (and labor-endorsed) Rick Nagin for second place behind incumbent Emily Lipovan Holan. The totals: Emily, 1,060; Brian, 814; Rick, 693; four other candidates combined, 670. This'll be one to watch in November.)