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There were many things to take away from Tuesday's general election, including the realization that area residents aren't afraid to cast write-in votes, they are willing to vote in favor of issues that can make a difference in their communities and that a single vote can make a big difference.
Among the most interesting races this fall was the battle for the council at large seat in Steubenville. With Kimberly Hahn having to leave the post at the end of the year because of term limits, Joel Walker and Scott Dressel were willing to run for the office. What made the race more interesting is that both were write-in candidates.
That meant anyone looking to vote for either person had to take a couple of extra steps when they filled out their ballots: They had to first fill in the dot on the ballot and then had to actually write in the name of the candidate they wanted to vote for.
According to the unofficial results from the Jefferson County Board of Elections, 2,560 city residents did just that. Walker won the seat, earning 1,708 votes to Dressel's 621.
With those extra steps that were needed to cast a write-in vote, it would not have been surprising if many of the ballots would have been declared invalid. That really wasn't the case, though, with 231 ballots being labeled that way. That's about 9 percent.
A write-in candidate also made an impression in Mingo Junction. Mark Baker, who ran for mayor as a write-in, finished second in a three-person race in the village. Judy Ruckman won the mayor's spot with 453 votes. Baker had 335 votes and Patrick Murphy was third with 261 votes.
Only nine write-in votes in that race were declared invalid -- that's a little more than 2 percent.
Other write-in candidates who appeared in the county were Jill Winksi, who finished behind Brian Driscoll in the race for mayor in Dillonvale; Elizabeth Phillips, who finished second behind Jason Corder in the race for Amsterdam Village Council (both won seats); Sarah Jokovich, who finished second behind Ronald M. Emerson in the race for Yorkville Village Council (both won seats); and Greg Herrick, who was the lone candidate for the Fourth Ward seat on Toronto City Council.
Voters in those races did not do quite as well: Five of the 45 votes in Dillonvale were invalid (that's 11 percent); eight of the 15 votes in Amsterdam were invalid (that's 53 percent); 10 of the 22 votes in Yorkville were invalid (that's 45 percent); and 16 of the 37 votes in Toronto were invalid (that's 43 percent.)
Overall voter turnout through our region was good for an election that comes in the November before a presidential election year. In Jefferson County, 19,886 of the 43,983 registered voters, or 43.25 percent, cast ballots, according to the secretary of state's office.
Carroll County had the highest percentage of turnout in our area, with 51.25 percent (9,244) of its 18,038 registered voters participating. Columbiana County saw 49.66 percent (32,140) of its 64,716 registered voters cast ballots, while Harrison County saw 47.34 percent (4,635) of its 9,811 registered voters cast ballots. In Belmont County, 43.37 percent (19.005) of its 43,825 voters cast ballots.
Two of the biggest reasons for that higher-than-normal turnout were the two statewide issues -- Issue 1, the reproductive rights constitutional amendment, and Issue 2, which legalizes the use of cannabis. Both issues won handily across the state, Issue 1 passing 56.62 percent (2,186,992) to 43.38 percent (1,675,728), and Issue 2 passing 56.97 percent (2,183,734) to 43.03 percent (1,649,339.)
Those issues didn't fare so well in our region. Voters in Jefferson, Harrison, Belmont, Columbiana and Carroll counties all said no in both cases. In Jefferson County, 59.37 percent voted against Issue 1, while 51.19 percent voted against Issue 2. In Harrison County, 62 percent voted against Issue 1, while 55.5 percent voted against Issue 2. In Belmont County, 59.71 percent voted against Issue I, while 51.77 percent against Issue 2. In Columbiana County, 56.15 percent voted against Issue 1, while 51.66 percent voted against Issue 2. And, in Carroll County, 60.85 percent voted against Issue 1, while 55.42 percent voted against Issue 2.
Area voters showed they were willing to say yes to tax and other issues that affect the services and continued operations of their communities and schools, with 16 of the 17 local issues on ballots throughout Jefferson County winning approval.
The lone exception was in Knox Township, where voters rejected by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent an additional 0.5-mill, four-year property tax that would have covered current expenses.
This election also offered a reminder of the importance of voting, especially for those area residents who have convinced themselves that their single vote cannot possibly make a difference. Just look at the race for mayor in Richmond -- Leonard Orwick defeated Ruth Ann Blackburn by two votes, 103-101.
The next election figures to generate more than a little bit of interest. There will be local issues to decide and every member of the House of Representatives is up for election. Nationwide attention will be placed on Ohio once again, as longtime U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, will seek re-election against the survivor of what figures to be tenacious Republican primary, one of a handful of races nationwide that will help to determine control of the Senate.
Oh, Americans also will choose their next president.
And it all will happen between now and Nov. 5.
(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times.)