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In the run-up to Tuesday's election, Bob Gale, director of the Jefferson County Board of Elections, had predicted about 15 percent of the county's 42,675 registered voters would cast a ballot, while adding that officials were hoping the actual turnout would surpass that number.
Those hopes were realized -- by the time each of the county's 57 precincts had reported, the total was 12,838, which put it at 30.08 percent.
That number's not bad for an off-year election, and was pretty consistent with the numbers seen across our region. In Harrison County, for instance, 2,814 of the 9,401 registered voters, or 29.93 percent, cast a ballot. Columbiana County saw 18,157 of its 63,798 registered voters, or 28.46 percent, cast a ballot, while in Belmont County, 10,659 of its 41,966 registered voters, or 25.4 percent, cast a ballot. And, Carroll County saw 4,380 of its 17,545 registered voters, or 25 percent, cast a ballot.
Those figures are as of about noon on Thursday, and they could change a little as the last of the absentee ballots arrive and are counted, but that won't make a lot a difference in the percentages.
Turnout for off-year elections can be difficult to predict. There generally are no statewide candidates to choose among, and only rarely is there a statewide issue, both of which always drive turnout higher.
But these elections that happen in an odd-numbered year can be the most consequential -- they affect property and who will be members of school boards, boards of township trustees and village and city councils. Those are the things and the elected officials who have the most day-to-day impact on any community.
There was only one countywide issue on this year's ballot, and it certainly attracted a lot of interest. That was the renewal of the 1-mill, five-year levy that helps provide operating money for the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County. It costs taxpayers about $23 a year, and it generates about one-third of the system's revenue.
While there was a significant campaign waged against the levy by the Committee for Decent Libraries, voters said they wanted the library to be able to continue to provide its services, and approved the renewal -- 6,632 voters said yes, while 6,077 said no -- that works out to 52.18 percent in favor and 47.82 percent against.
Just about everyone who cast a ballot in Jefferson County weighed in on the issue. According to the unofficial results, the under vote -- the number of ballots where the voter chose neither yes nor no -- totaled 128, or less than 1 percent (0.099 percent, if you want to be really technical.)
What's even a little more interesting is that the levy did far better with residents who voted early, either in person or through absentee ballots, than it did among those who voted on election day. Of those who cast absentee ballots, 64.89 percent said yes (632 votes to 342 votes), and of those who voted early, 60.64 percent said yes (1,183 votes to 768 votes.)
Those early votes made all of the difference -- of the ballots cast on Tuesday, 50.77 percent said no (4,967 votes to 4,817 votes.)
Another issue that brought voters out was the renewal of the five-year, 7.9-mill operating levy in the Indian Creek Local School District. According to the unofficial results, 4.613 of the eligible 12,950 voters cast a ballot. That's 36 percent, which was higher than the county average.
The levy passed -- 2,325 to 2,217 (51.19 percent to 48.81 percent.) Of the votes cast on Tuesday, 1,742 were yes and 1,634 were no, percentages of 51.6 and 48.4 that were pretty much in line with the final results. Absentee voters favored the levy 179 to 160 (52.8 percent to 47.2 percent) while those who cast early in-person ballots voted against the levy, 423 (51.15 percent) to 404 (48.85 percent.) Again, there was a lot of interest among district residents -- the under vote came in at 69, or 1.5 percent.
Toronto voters, meanwhile, continued to show their support for their schools, renewing the district's 5-mill operating levy, with 527 votes for (62.07 percent) and 322 votes against (37.93 percent.) A total of 853 votes were cast in the city, with four under votes -- that's just 0.5 percent.
Another issue -- read that as issues -- that attracted attention were the proposed changes to the Steubenville City Charter. The 3,219 voters in the city who cast ballots passed each of the eight proposals, but the under vote totals were a little higher than in some of the other races. For Issue 2, the under vote was 331 (10.3 percent); for Issue 3 it was 156 (4.8percent); for Issue 4, it was 201 (6.2 percent); for Issue 5, it was 164 (5 percent); for Issue 6 it was 170 (5.3 percent); for Issue 7 it was 225 (6.9 percent); for Issue 8, it was 193 (5.9 percent); and for Issue 9, it was 231 (7.1 percent.)
Those under votes probably weren't all that surprising -- the proposed changes to the charter were significant, and voters were faced with a lot of information to process, along with the number of votes they were being asked to cast on the issue. Whatever the reason, the issues passed and will now become part of the document that determines how the city is run.
While all of those numbers are interesting to look at, they help to show, once again, that every vote in every election is important -- from the nearly completed off-year election to the coming 2026 election cycle, where Ohioans will be asked to select a new governor, vote for a U.S. senator and vote on all of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives -- among other races. And, voters across the state will be part of new congressional districts, which will make things even more interesting.
Ohio's primary election is set for May 5, and the general election is less than one year away, on Nov. 3. Races in the state will be among the most closely watched in the nation. With that in mind, make sure you can be a part of it.
If you are not already registered to vote, the deadline for the May primary is April 5.
Get registered, be involved and let your voice be heard.
(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times.)