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Early voting has been underway for more than a week now in Ohio.
It’s an easy way to cast your ballot. All you have to do is stop by the board of elections in the county you reside in, show your ID, sign in and vote -- the same procedure you would follow if you went to your local precinct on Election Day.
Many people prefer to wait until Nov. 3 to cast their ballots. And that’s fine, too. Others have chosen to utilize the state’s mail-in early voting option for many reasons. Some want to just get their obligation out of the way. Some know they won’t be in the area on Election Day. Some are worried about the potential of bad weather.
Whatever the reason, it’s an option that makes it easier for those who are registered to vote.
And, despite what you might hear, it’s safe and secure.
So far, area residents have taken advantage of early voting -- and mail-in voting -- to make their voices heard.
In Jefferson County, for instance, as of noon Friday, the office of Frank LaRose, Ohio’s secretary of state. reported that 1,738 residents had taken advantage of early in-person voting. And, of the 3,715 requests for absentee-by-mail ballots, 1,300 had been returned. That means 3,038 residents already have voted.
The secretary of state’s office also tells us that there are 43,030 voters registered in Jefferson County. That’s about 83 percent of the 51,758 estimated number of county residents who are eligible to be voters, and their average age is 53.
That number of registered voters includes the 1,152 new voters who were registered before the Oct. 5 deadline.
Looking a little deeper, the secretary of state’s office has broken down county voters by their age.
That list shows that 32 percent of the registered voters in Jefferson County are 65 or older, and 17 percent are between the ages of 55 and 64. Fourteen percent are between the ages of 45 and 54, and 15 percent are between the ages of 25 and 34 and 35 and 44, respectively. Only 7 percent of the registered voters are between the ages of 18 and 24.
It means that 49 percent of the registered voters in Jefferson County are 55 or older.
Numbers reported for surrounding counties also are interesting to look at.
In Harrison County, 278 residents have taken advantage of early in-person voting. There have been 792 absentee ballots issued, and 172 returned, meaning 450 residents have voted.
Harrison County has 9,446 registered voters, which is about 84 percent of the 11,288 county residents who are eligible to be voters, and the average age is 53.
The breakdown by age is similar to Jefferson County: 34 percent of the registered voters are 65 or older, while 18 percent are between the ages of 55 and 64. Fifteen percent of the registered voters are between the ages of 45 and 54, and 13 percent fall into the 35-44 and 25-34 categories, leaving 8 percent in the 18-24 category.
Like in Jefferson County, those numbers skew old -- 52 percent of Harrison County’s registered voters are 55 and older.
Turning to Belmont County, the secretary of state’s office reports that 1,484 residents already have participated in early in-person voting. There have been 4,844 absentee-by-mail ballots issued, and 964 of those have been returned, meaning that 2,448 residents there already have voted.
There are 42,378 registered voters in Belmont County, which works out to 80 percent of the 52,941 county residents who are eligible to be voters, and the average age is 53.
The breakdown by age is similar to Jefferson and Harrison counties, with 33 percent of the registered voters 65 and older. Sixteen percent and in the 55-64 category, while 15 percent are in the 45-54 and 35-44 age groups, respectively, and 14 percent is in the 25-34 category. That leaves 7 percent for the 18-24 group.
And, just like Jefferson and Harrison counties, the voters are older -- 49 percent are 55 or older -- and the average age is 53.
Carroll County, meanwhile, has seen 644 voters participate in early in-person voting. There have been 1,261 absentee-by-mail ballots issued, and 516 have been returned, which means 1,180 early ballots have been cast.
The county has 17,730 registered voters, which is 84 percent of the 21,170 residents who are eligible to be voters.
The breakdown by age is similar to the other three counties in our area -- 34 percent of the registered voters are 65 or older, 18 percent are between the ages of 55 and 64, 15 percent are between the ages of 45 and 54, 13 percent are between the ages of 35 and 44, 12 percent are between the ages of 25 and 34 and 7 percent are between the ages of 18 and 24.
As for older voters there, the number should seem familiar -- 52 percent of the registered votes and 55 and older.
Turning to Columbiana County, there have been 1,920 residents take advantage of early in-person voting, and 513 of the 4,198 absentee-by-mail ballots that were issued have been returned, which means 2,443 residents have already participated in early voting.
There are 63,870 registered voters, or 80 percent of the 79,852 who are eligible to be voters in the county.
And if you think the breakdown by age is any different from the rest of the counties that surround Jefferson, you are wrong: In Columbiana County, 33 percent of the voters are 65 or older and 17 percent and between the ages of 55 and 64 -- that’s 50 percent of the voters. Fifteen percent are between the ages of 45 and 54, and 14 percent fall into the 35-44 and 25-34 categories, leaving 7 percent for the 18-24 group.
So, how do those numbers stack up with the rest of Ohio?
According to LaRose’s office, 310,289 early in-person votes have been cast and 141,291 of the absentee-by-mail ballots that have been issued have been returned.
Ohio has 8,022,601 registered voters, which is 90 percent of the 8.956,902 Ohioans who are eligible to vote.
Voters across the state tend to be a little younger than in our area, with 27 percent falling into the 65 and older category and 16 percent falling into the 55 to 64 group -- that’s 43 percent of the total. Fifteen percent are in the 45 to 64 group, 16 percent in the 35 to 44 group, 17 percent in the 25-34 group and 9 percent in the 18 to 24 group.
Statistics might be interesting to look at, but they don’t mean anything unless you are registered and take the time to cast your ballot.
(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is senior writer for the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times)