Mahoning County received $364,000 and Trumbull County got $212,000 from the state to cover the costs of the recent special election for Issue 1 — and election directors in both counties say that should be enough or close to what will be spent.

Money for Tuesday’s statewide election initially was not included in the state budget because the General Assembly in December eliminated special August elections except for rare exceptions. A statewide constitutional amendment was not among those exceptions, but the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the election could occur.

The General Assembly approved $15 million for the special election with the money distributed a few weeks ago to counties based on the number of registered voters.

Election directors in both counties say they still are working on determining the final expenses of the election.

“We have to wait until we get invoices from vendors and determine how much we spent in overtime, ballot printing, truck rentals, security and everything else that goes into holding an election,” Tom McCabe, director of the Mahoning County Board of Elections, said.

If the $364,000 from the state “isn’t enough, we’ll have to cover it. If it’s short, I’d hope the state Legislature would reimburse us, but I doubt it.”

But McCabe said: “It’s not going to be too much. I don’t suspect it will cover the full cost, but it will be close. The cost is in the range of what an odd-year general election costs.”

As for Trumbull County’s $212,000 payment for this election, Stephanie Penrose, elections director, said: “We’ll spend slightly under or all of it.”

The Trumbull board spent $49,000 to hire extra temporary workers and for overtime for its permanent staff, Penrose said.

The workers had to review signatures on petitions for the abortion rights constitutional amendment that will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot, as well as petitions on a recreational marijuana initiative that likely will be on the same ballot. They also had to handle early in-person voting, processing mail ballot requests and nominating petitions from nonpartisan candidates for the fall election, Penrose said.

The board earmarked $83,000 for pollworkers, but Penrose said that actual cost isn’t known yet.

The board also had to order more ballots because turnout was much higher than initially believed and costs with equipment and renting polling locations are involved, she said.

“This was an expensive election,” Penrose said.

VOTE TOTALS

Issue 1, which would have required at least 60 percent support for future constitutional amendments to pass rather than the existing simple majority, was rejected by 57.01 percent of Ohio voters.

It lost in Mahoning County with 41.78 percent in support and 58.22 in opposition, according to unofficial totals.

It lost in Trumbull County with 42.85 percent in support and 57.15 in opposition, according to unofficial totals.

In Trumbull, the issue was defeated in 121 of the county’s 158 precincts, won in 36 and there was a 188-188 tie in Cortland Precinct H.

In Mahoning, the issue was rejected in 166 of the county’s 212 precincts and won in 46.

In Mahoning County, Issue 1 was rejected in every precinct in Youngstown, Struthers, Campbell, Austintown, Coitsville, Craig Beach, Lowellville and Poland village.

Some of the results in Youngstown were heavily against Issue 1 such as Precinct 1C, where it was defeated 163-9, and in Precinct 2E, where it was rejected 206-16.

It won in only two of Boardman’s 37 precincts, in three of Poland Township’s 13 precincts and in two of Canfield city’s eight precincts.

Issue 1 received support in several of the county’s least-populous communities.

Its biggest precinct wins in Mahoning County were in Green Precinct 2, 303-152, and in Beaver Precinct 3, 248-141.

It was approved in all six of Springfield’s precincts; six of Beaver’s seven precincts; five of Canfield Township’s eight precincts; all four of Smith’s precincts; all three precincts in Goshen and Green; both precincts in Berlin, Ellsworth and Jackson; two of Sebring’s four precincts; one of two precincts in Milton and New Middletown; and the one precinct in Beloit and Washingtonville.

Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman Chris Anderson said Issue 1’s defeat in two of Sebring’s four precincts shows how unpopular it was in the county as that village is heavily Republican.

In Trumbull County, Issue 1 lost in every precinct in Warren, Niles, Girard, Hubbard city, Howland, McDonald, Newton Falls, Warren Township, Weathersfield and even in the one precinct in tiny, rural Gustavus.

Among the more lopsided rejections of Issue 1 were in Warren, including Precinct 6B, where it was defeated 156-12, and in Precinct 5G, where it was defeated 134-38. It also was rejected in Niles Precinct 4D 206-102 and in Girard Precinct 2A 238-110.

Issue 1 won only one of Liberty’s nine precincts, one of Bazetta’s five precincts, one of Hubbard Township’s four precincts, two of Brookfield’s seven precincts and two of Champion’s seven precincts.

It won two of Cortland’s six precincts with a tie in Precinct H.

“It’s clear that people in Ohio and Trumbull County don’t want their rights stripped away,” Karen Zehr, secretary of the county Democratic Party, said.

Issue 1 did better for the most part in Trumbull’s least-populous communities though, in addition to Gustavus’ one precinct, it lost in five of Johnston’s seven precincts and in two of Newton Township’s three precincts.

Among Issue 1’s biggest successes in Trumbull County precincts were in Johnston B, where it won 172-76 and in Farmington’s only precinct, 238-148.

It won all three precincts in Vienna and Southington; both precincts in Bristol, Fowler, Kinsman and Mecca; two of Lordstown’s three precincts; one of two precincts in Braceville and Hartford; and the lone precincts in Bloomfield, Farmington, Greene, Mesopotamia, Vernon and West Farmington.