In what might just end up being one of the lowest voter turnout elections in Sampson County history, incumbents, and a couple of newcomers, were returned to their seats on municipal boards from Autryville to Garland, Newton Grove to Roseboro and everywhere in between.

Mayors of Clinton, Autryville, Garland and Newton Grove, all who ran unopposed, were returned for another term.

In contested races, Turkey incumbent Anita Ezzell was unseated by newcomers to the board Donnie Myers and George D. Wright. Myers was the top vote-getter with 45 ballots cast in his favor followed by Wright with 31 votes. Ezzell only amassed 19 votes in her bid for re-election.

Garland commissioner Elizabeth Carey Johnson was also unseated, with Michael Toler taking her place on the town board. Johnson, like Ezzell in Turkey, only received 19 of the total votes casts. Toler received 29 votes. Returned to the board were members Coleman Johnson and Denise R. Toler.

In Newton Grove, where one uncontested seat was up for grabs, newcomer Pam Jackson secured a place on the board with 85 votes along with returning members Gary Mac Herring, who received the highest number of votes with 98 and Brenda Raynor, with 66. Opponent Kent Sutton narrowly lost his bid, garnering the lowest vote total at 57.

Roseboro town commissioners Anthony Bennett and Arnold Sandy return to their seats along with newcomer Cary Holland, and in Autryville, former board member William Holden secured a spot on the board along with incumbent Mickie Spell. Salemburg board members George Lockamy, Arnold Page and Joe Warren captured enough votes to return to their seats while opponent Johnnie Parker, with 28 votes, lost his bid.

In the city of Clinton, all three incumbent council members — Steve Stefanovich, Maxine Harris and Marcus Becton — ran unopposed, as did Harrells aldermen Charles S. Moore and Robert M. Burley Jr.

According to Sampson County Board of Elections officials, a total 470 people, or 6 percent of the total 7,756 registered voters, cast ballots in Tuesday’s election.

Elections director Sylvia Thornton attributes the low turnout to the lack of opposition in most of the municipal races.

“The turnout was totally pathetic,” Thornton said.

It wasn’t an unexpected turnout, Thornton said, given there were no referendums on the ballot and no major contested races. Coupled with that was the fact that there were no state or national races in this election cycle.