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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- The Belmont County Board of Elections certified local results for the Aug. 8 special election and is now preparing for the general election Nov. 7.
With the addition of 78 provisional ballots, a total of 7,076 Belmont County voters were in favor of Issue 1, and 5,869 were opposed to the issue that would have amended the state constitution to require a 60 percent majority to change the constitution in the future. There were a total of 12,960 votes, or a turnout of 29.59 percent. The issue was defeated statewide.
The board took stock of the election, noting it went smoothly. Election Director Aaron Moore noted a community event was scheduled that day at the pavilion and the polling location was located at the J.B. Martin Recreation Center in St. Clairsville. Board member Michael Shaheen noted there was a sizable crowd.
"It was scheduled before we knew about the dates of the special election," Shaheen said, adding they will reach out to the recreation center and work on communication to avoid potential difficulties in traffic control.
Regarding the upcoming election, the board permitted Moore to restructure poll worker training according to how much training a poll worker would need. Moore said training time is typically a standard of three hours, but newer poll workers might need the full time period while longtime poll workers might only need one hour.
Board member Frankie Lee Carnes cautioned Moore to make certain all poll workers receive proper training.
"I do want everybody trained in some form before every election," Carnes said. "That's how we have stayed as accurate and as efficient and good as we are."
Moore said more training will be provided to any poll worker who feels in need, and poll workers will be reviewed after all elections.
He added the poll workers had gone through additional training to be ready for new voter photo identification laws that went into effect during the August election.
Also, the Around the World Gourmet restaurant in Bellaire had filed for a liquor permit, but the board did not approve it because the application apparently had not been filed with the Ohio Division of Liquor Control. On Monday morning, Moore was advised the division had received the application in a timely manner but it had not made it into the processing system. The liquor permit will appear on the November ballot.
Moore said the board will continue to utilize the ElectionIQ printer to provide ballots, but there have been issues and delays in producing envelopes. He will reach out to other counties to look for options in envelope printing.
Regarding voting locations, the Carnes Center in St. Clairsville has no concrete path for people with disabilities arriving to vote. Moore said the board does its best to place a temporary path every election. The Richland Township trustees and local civic groups are exploring the possibility of installing a concrete path. Moore will provide the trustees with the state requirements.
Moore is also exploring the possibility of a new polling location in Yorkville and using the Jefferson Avenue Elementary School in Shadyside.
The group Patriots for Ohio has submitted a public records request for information related to the August election. Moore is consulting the county prosecutor, noting there is considerable information being requested. He said while the group is free to come to the office to view it, if members require a physical copy it may carry a charge.
At 11 a.m. Monday the board will audit several randomly chosen precincts with 648 votes or more.
Moore added that new poll workers are always needed. The board office is at 52180 National Road, St. Clairsville. The contact number is 740-526-0188.