In reportedly one of the lowest voter turnouts in city history, Portsmouth City Council 4th Ward incumbent Jerrold Albrecht and Wayne Nichols survived Tuesday's primary and will meet in the November general election.

Albrecht received 41 votes (46 percent) with Nichols taking 31 (35 percent).

Michael Blankenship-Ha-milton received 16 votes (18 percent).

“I'm glad I did well, but we'll have to do much better than that in Novem-ber,” Nichols said. “We're going to have to work a lot harder.”

He said he will try to meet the needs of the residents in the 4th Ward should he defeat Albrecht.

Albrecht, 67, and Nich-ols, 58, said they will start campaigning around Labor Day.

“I'm happy to still be in the voting,” Albrecht said. “I want to thank all those who turned out to vote for me.”

Very few turned out to vote for any candidate.

Only 88 of 1,809 registered voters in the ward voted. That translates to a 4.9 percent turnout.

Scioto County Board of Elections Director Nancy Shepherd said she couldn't think of a worse turnout than Tuesday's.

“I don't know whether the voters don't care,” she said. “I don't know.”

Democratic Party chairman and board member Randy Basham had a theory for the light turnout.

“I think with all the dissension and problems the city has had, the voters have just given up,” he said. “Look at the results. How much controversy have you seen in the paper about the dissension and what goes on with city government?

“Here's their chance to step up to the plate and participate and name the people they want in those positions, and you have a turnout like we had today. It's something,” he said.

Board chairman Steve Mow-ery said some voters who ignored the primary may still vote in November.

Some voters even may get a chance to vote for Blanken-ship-Hamilton again.

“I'm not done yet,” he said. “I'm not going to give up. You'll see me again.”

The 24-year-old Hamilton-Blankenship said his age may have hurt him.

“Usually, younger guys don't get as large of a backing as people who have been around longer than me and have a little more experience,” he said.

Blankenship-Hamilton said he will wait a while before deciding whether to run as a write-in candidate or not in November.



JEFF BARRON can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 236.