REVIEWING RESULTS — Matt Parise, chairman of the Jefferson County Board of Elections, and Frankie DiCarlantonio, board member, review preliminary results in the board office during Tuesday’s night’s general election. (Photo by Andrew Grimm)

STEUBENVILLE — In what was an unorthodox and unique 2020 election cycle, Jefferson County Board of Elections Chairman Matt Parise could not have been happier with the county’s election staff following Tuesday night’s count.

“We have an absolutely phenomenal staff, both full-time and part-time,” Parise said. “Poll workers, extras and rovers, everybody came together and made sure the people of Jefferson County got to vote, whether they wanted to vote absentee, whether they wanted to vote in person early, or whether they wanted to go to the polls (Tuesday), they got that opportunity.

“This staff in Jefferson County performed flawlessly from top to bottom. I was very happy with everybody. Jefferson County has a lot to be proud of, and I have a lot to be proud of (as chairman).”

Frankie DiCarlantonio, board member, echoed those sentiments.

“We made sure that we crossed every ‘t’ and dotted every ‘i,'” DiCarlantonio said. “We were able to ramp up programs and ramp up volume in certain areas that we haven’t before. Our staff responded very well. We were able to do everything on target, on time and make sure we serviced the voters of Jefferson County.”

Preliminary numbers had 32,957 votes cast in the general election in Jefferson County — 68.42 percent of the county’s 48,167 registered voters cast a ballot.

“Presidential years obviously bring more people out, so we anticipated a tick up,” Parise said. “Registration was up. We anticipated about 33,000 and we were right in the ballpark. We would always like to see higher numbers, I would like see 70 or 75 percent, but, if you look at some of the rest of the nation, we’re leading them as well.

“I think everybody in Jefferson County should walk away satisfied that they had the opportunity to have a say nationally, state-wide and locally.”

Making this year different were restrictions and precautions due to COVID-19, and a large increase in absentee and in-person early voting. Based on preliminary numbers, 18,207 voters — or roughly 55.9 percent of voters in the county — cast a ballot early in-person or absentee by mail.

“The majority of voters utilized their early voting options, which is great” DiCarlantonio said. “It was a way, with certainty, for people to be able to cast their ballots in these uncertain times. We sent out about 4,000 more vote-by-mail ballots than we did in the entire 2016 election, and we voted roughly 4,500 more people here in the office than we did in 2016.

“All the voters I have come across and all the voters the staff has come across were very receptive of voting in ways they never have before. A lot of people early voted that never had before, a lot of people voted by mail that never have before. The voters of the county have been very adaptive and very receptive.”