Election Commission Certifies May 5 Primary Results Amid Low Turnout

CARROLL COUNTY (May 14) — The Carroll County Election Commission officially certified the results of the May 5 primary election during its meeting on Thursday at the Carroll County Office Complex. Despite the certification, officials noted a notably low voter turnout, largely attributed to a ballot featuring only one contested race.

The single competitive contest was the Republican sheriff nomination, where Eric Sawyers emerged victorious over Tim Pratt. This state-mandated local primary drew a total of 1,288 ballots, including 16 mail-in votes and 13 cast from area nursing homes. Each of the winners of the primary advances to the August general election, when significantly more voters are expected to participate because of the contested sheriff’s race.

A breakdown of the numbers shows 1,086 ballots were cast in the Republican primary, while the Democratic primary, which featured no contested elections, saw 202 participants. During the certification process, Administrator of Elections Peg Hamlett distributed confirmation sheets to the commissioners for their signatures to formalize the results.

The Election Commission is scheduled to hold its next meeting on June 16.