In the primary race for Gwinnett school board Tuesday, a novice won favor, but in the contests for Gwinnett County Commission the name recognition of political heavyweights gave two candidates the edge.

Incumbent District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau, 33, a national accounts manager for Ricoh Corp. who touted his record of preserving green space, soundly won the opportunity to represent District 3 in the general election.

Former Duluth Mayor Shirley Lasseter gathered the most votes late Tuesday in the District 1 commission race, but her outcome wasn't as sweet. She could face a run-off with either former Suwanee City Council member Carol Hassell or Duluth businessman Bruce LeVell. Results were too close late Tuesday to determine which contender would battle Lasseter.

"With three people in there, I would have hoped not to have had a runoff," Lasseter said from her campaign celebration at the Loafin' Leprachaun in Duluth. "But I'm not surprised at all."

Lasseter said she believes it was her tough stance on illegal immigration that made the biggest impression on voters.

In the District 5 school board race, Democrat Ravindra Kumar, a Morehouse School of Medicine professor and researcher from Northern India, appeared to have soundly defeated his competition. Kumar will face longtime school board member and Republican Louise Radloff in the general election. Radloff is in her 36th year on the Gwinnett County Board of Education and has a middle school named after her.

Voter turnout was just as Gwinnett County elections officials predicted it would be — molasses slow.

Only two people were waiting outside of Precinct 11 in Lilburn when polls opened at 7 a.m., said precinct manager Steve Stafford. By 5 p.m. only about 10 percent of the precinct's 1,517 registered voters had showed up.

"It has been slooow," said Stafford.

Gwinnett elections director Lynn Ledford projected that only 22 to 30 percent of the region's 394,000 registered voters would cast their ballots in the primary. Before the polls closed Tuesday, Ledford said turnout appeared to be at the lower end of the forecast.

"Our phones have not rang much at all," Ledford said. "Usually when we have a big turnout we have people calling asking, 'Where do I vote? or Am I registered?' We haven't had hardly any of that today. I don't think that we are going to hit 30 percent. ''

Approximately 7,000 to 8,000 people had cast absentee ballots, Ledford said.

Voters were captive audiences for opinion polls. Republican and Democratic party leaders asked them about a wide range of issues from illegal immigration to government representation. In one ballot question, voters were asked whether they wanted MARTA to come to Gwinnett. Opinion on the non-binding referendum was split.

The only binding question on the ballot was about the use of tax allocation districts, or TADs, in unincorporated Gwinnett County. The question asked if an act that authorizes Gwinnett to exercise redevelopment powers to improve economic and social conditions in "depressed areas" should be approved. Approving the act would allow the county to leverage future property tax revenue to spur private development now.

Voters overwhelming approved the idea.

"It seemed like a good thing to support," said Adriana Hayes, a voter who lives in Lilburn.

Others were concerned that TADs divert property taxes away from schools for redevlopment purposes. "We need all of our money," said Bettye Callis of Lilburn, an elementary school teacher. "We have lots of trailers. We need more buildings and educational tools for our children. They are our future."

Staff Writer Eileen Drennen contributed to this report.