By Michael Butler

Tuesday’s primary yielded a low voter turnout, a trend that continues in Alabama and Tallassee is not exempt.

Statewide, 879,381 votes were cast according to the Alabama Reflector. That accounts for 23.4 percent of registered voters in Alabama.

The Secretary of State Office reports that there are 3,164 registered voters in Tallassee. On Tuesday, 866 filled out ballots. That is 27.37 percent, better than the state average but still too low according to some after seeing a Tallassee Times Facebook post regarding turnout totals.

“Pitiful turnout,” Michael Bird posted. “I cannot believe more people don’t even participate in the process. They are the same folks who get on these discussion boards and fuss!”

Luke Ledbetter concurred.

“866 votes for Tallassee’s population is pitiful,” he wrote.

Tallassee’s biggest box is at Tallaweka Baptist Church where there were 866 voters. At City Hall in East Tallassee, the number was 593. Jordanville’s voting location at God’s Congregational Holiness Church drew just 53 voters.

Numbers for the most recent municipal election last year were the worst of the 2000s with only 766 votes in all for the mayor, council and school board races. That was a drop from 1,171 in the 2020 city election.

Last year’s presidential election drew strong numbers however with 2,441 total votes, equaling 77 percent voter turnout.