Expressing their views on issues ranging from rent control to the economy to the environment, thousands of Cantabrigians fulfilled their civic duties yesterday by voting for city councillors and school committee members.

Wardens at several precincts said that turnout was low this year because only local issues were at stake.

"It's been very slow here," said Eileen L. Schaub, warden at the Larsen Hall precinct. "People aren't hooked by local issues. With a national candidates there is a large turnout."

Nellie M. Edey, warden at the Youville Hospital polling site, said today's voting went as expected.

"We have opened about one-third of our ballots," Edey said. "It's been very quiet."

Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr., campaigning in the Harrington School precinct, said the low turnout could also be the result of recent redistricting.

"I expected a bigger turnout," Toomey said. "There has been some confusion about where to vote, and there just didn't seem to be enough advance notice."

Harvard students once again had a poor showing at the polls. Projected voter turnout for the polls located at Quincy House was approximately 120 out of 758 eligible voters, said Peter Scheinfeld, an election official. The actual turnout was a mere 92.

But Scheinfeld said Harvard students showed a dramatic improvement from the mere 22 ballots cast at the Quincy House polls two years ago for a presidential primary.

The majority of voters in the middle of the day were elderly. Many of these midday voters were concerned about rent control.

"Although I was originally for rent control, it has gotten out of control," said J. Jackie Limberakis.

These sentiments were echoed by Scheinfeld, who predicted that Councillor William H. Walsh will succeed in his reelection bid despite facing 59 felony counts, because "he speaks up for the small property owner."

But concern over rent control was not the only factor that brought out the voters yesterday.

Alan Ackerman, a resident tutor at Kirkland House, said he was at the polls to participate in "the democratic process."

Elizabeth Kline, who was holding a sign for Francis H. Duehay '55 outside the Peabody School, said this year's municipal elections were the most interesting in recent history because of the large number of candidates.