Turnout for this election, primarily driven by those wanting to vote for president, is going to be strong.

Turnout in Mahoning County is expected to be between 72% and 74%, according to Tom McCabe, the county’s elections board director.

Stephanie Penrose, director of the Trumbull County Board of Elections, predicts turnout for this election in that county at 74% to 76%.

When I was at the Mahoning County Board of Elections for a while Tuesday, the first day of early voting, it was obvious that people were excited to be there.

Whenever I go to the local early voting centers, most people like talking about their experience and who they’re supporting.

Sandie McCreery of Poland told me she was a Democrat for a longtime until she switched to become a Republican about 10 years ago.

She voted for Republican Donald Trump for president and was critical of the Democratic Party, saying they’ve “lost touch with reality.”

Despite that, McCreery said she voted for some local Democrats.

“I go with who I like,” she said.

A number of Trump supporters, many who are newer Republicans, told me they voted for some down-ticket Democrats. I didn’t hear that from those voting for Democrat Kamala Harris for president.

While Trump backers had no problem telling me about their votes, it was more challenging to get people to say they cast their ballots for Harris.

Some didn’t have a problem.

But unlike the Trump backers, a number of Harris voters didn’t want to talk about their support for her.

How do I know they voted for Harris? In a number of cases, I started talking to someone who was hesitant to discuss their vote and eventually they told me it was for Harris.

There still were some who simply didn’t want to talk about it — and that’s certainly their right.

As I finished talking to a married couple who voted for Harris, Andrea Cummings of Lowellville asked if I wanted to know who she supported.

She never asked me who I was though it’s possible she overheard me talking to other people or figured it out. I’d like to think she recognized me, but I doubt it.

Cummings said she left the Democratic Party in 2016 to back Trump.

It was something Mahoning and Trumbull counties — as well as other parts of Ohio — experienced in 2016. Several Democrats chose to cross over in 2016 and vote for Trump.

When it comes to presidential politics, Trump did even better in 2020 in Mahoning and Trumbull. Trump won Mahoning, which he lost in 2016. He won Trumbull in 2020 by an even larger margin than in 2016.

It will be interesting to see what happens with this election though there’s little doubt he’s going to win Trumbull and Harris will be more competitive in Mahoning.

Can Trump carry other Republicans in the two counties to victories?

Trump didn’t do that in 2016 in Mahoning and Trumbull counties. Having Trump as president helped Republicans in the two counties in 2018 win some seats as well as in 2020 when he ran for reelection.

Republicans did well in 2022 when Trump wasn’t on the ballot in the Mahoning Valley. Republican J.D. Vance beat Democrat Tim Ryan, who represented much of Mahoning and Trumbull for 20 years in the U.S. House, in the two counties. Trump endorsed Vance in the Republican primary and then the general election, and campaigned for him in Youngstown.

But it was Gov. Mike DeWine at the top of the Republican ticket two years ago. While DeWine supports Trump, he’s been critical of him.

Enthusiasm for the presidential election is great — particularly because there are so many other major races on the ballot — it’s unfortunate that this doesn’t translate into nonpresidential years.

Local races — such as city council, mayor, township trustee and school board — impact your life on a far more regular basis than the president. But turnout in odd-numbered elections is always significantly lower than presidential years.

Skolnick covers politics for the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator.