The Associated Press

CLEVELAND - Brian Ingles has never registered to vote and doesn't see much need to do so before the presidential election.

"I can't stand George Bush, and I don't trust John Kerry," the 25-year-old said. "I just haven't seen anyone I'd vote for."

Ingles lives in central Ohio's Fayette County, one of 25 Ohio counties where less than 60 percent of eligible people are registered to vote, according to analysis by the Plain Dealer.

The average rate of voter registration for an Ohio county is 62 percent. Only six of the state's 88 counties have more than 70 percent of their residents registered. The newspaper used information from 2000 and 2002 voting results and records from the Ohio Secretary of State's office.

Joining Fayette at the bottom of the list are Pickaway, Clark and Madison counties in central Ohio and seven Appalachian counties.

Cultural habits may be one reason eligible voters are staying home on election day. A Brookings Institution study indicates participation by friends and neighbors can better predict voter turnout than factors such as worries about voting machines or even a desire to see a certain candidate win.

State Sen. John Carey, a Tuscarawas County Republican who represents parts of Appalachia, said the region's residents have traditionally felt left out.

"In the past, some people from Appalachia have felt their vote won't really count," Carey said. "Hopefully, I think both [the Bush and Kerry] campaigns are concentrating on rural areas, and that is changing things."

Ohio League of Women Voters elections specialist Peg Rosenfield said many Ohioans, especially in Appalachia, don't register because they fear the government.

"We used to hear a lot that people didn't register because they were afraid of getting jury duty," she said. "But the new one I've just started hearing is that people don't want the government to have any record of them whatsoever."

Some hold out hope that the situation is improving. Carlo LoParo, a spokesman for Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, said this year's heated race has encouraged more people to vote.

"I would guess the number of registered voters in Ohio after this election will be far higher," he said.