The adage that every vote counts was quite evident in this recent election.

A Sebring charter amendment and a Farmington fire and emergency medical service levy that were winning by a single vote each, according to unofficial totals from the Nov. 4 election, ended up losing by just one vote when provisional ballots were counted. Also, fewer than eight votes separated winners from losers in five races in Trumbull County communities. In one of those races, a candidate won by one vote.

“Your vote counts in these races; it sure does,” said Stephanie Penrose, director of the Trumbull County Board of Elections.

Tom McCabe, director of the Mahoning County Board of Elections, said that is particularly true in odd-year elections.

“We see it all the time in these elections,” he said. “It’s almost a guarantee to have close races, particularly in smaller communities, when you get low turnout. Less votes equals a greater chance of close races.”

There will be an automatic recount Wednesday for the Sebring charter amendment. The Trumbull board will have recounts Tuesday for the Farmington levy as well as three of the five close candidate races.

Any results that are 0.5 of a percent or less get an automatic recount.

Even though Rhonda M. Snyder beat Greg Maraczi by only four votes for the second and final Bristol trustee seat, the 201-197 outcome is a 1% victory and not subject to an automatic recount.

The same for the second and final Kinsman trustee seat. Loren Hopkins beat incumbent Bruce O. Bancroft by only seven votes, 218-211. It’s a 1.6% win. The candidate races in Trumbull County that will get automatic recounts are for Mesopotamia Township trustee, Lordstown Village Council and Liberty school board.

In Mesopotamia, the race for two trustee seats was so close that only seven votes separated first from third. Before provisional ballots and outstanding absentee ballots were counted with the board certifying the results Wednesday, only four votes separated the three candidates.

Peter Schaden picked up five extra votes to get one seat with 107 votes.

Incumbent Joseph J. Pavlic picked up one additional vote while Tyler Miller received two. That left Pavlic winning by a single vote, 101-100.

For the third and final seat on the Liberty school board, incumbent David Malone was up 966 to 956 for Beth Russell — just outside the automatic recount percentage — before the provisional and late-arriving absentee ballots were counted. It tightened up to 969-961 in favor of Malone. Malone’s margin of victory shrunk to 0.42 of a percent.

For the fourth seat on Lordstown Village Council, Mark R. McGrail and incumbent Ernest Bowen both picked up two additional votes. That left McGrail winning the race by five votes, 376-371.

The Farmington 2.9-mill levy for fire and EMS services for a continuous period of time was ahead by a single vote, 152-151, based on unofficial results after the Nov. 4 election. There was a one provision ballot to be cast and when it was opened, it was a no. That left the levy with a 152-152 outcome.

In Ohio, a levy has to have a majority vote to pass so it went from a winner to a loser because of that lone vote. After votes were counted Nov. 4, a Sebring charter amendment to eliminate the village’s civil service commission was winning by a single vote, 296-295.

With provisional ballots added, it ended up losing 300-299 — again a one-vote difference. Both McCabe and Penrose said recounts very rarely change the final results so don’t expect a different outcome next week.

But when people don’t vote because they believe their vote doesn’t matter, here are a number of examples in just this past election that show how incorrect they are. Yes, most of them are in smaller communities, but when people stay home, others decide for them.

Penrose and McCabe had predicted turnout for this election to be the lowest in at least three decades, and likely longer.

While turnout still wasn’t good, it was considerably better than the projections. Also, it surpassed the low bar set in 2021 for poor turnout, which was 25.07% in Mahoning and 22.37% in Trumbull.

McCabe had projected turnout at 20%. It ended up being 29.13%.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the Mahoning County Board of Elections, Chairman David Betras said: “I’m very impressed with the turnout. It was almost 30%. That’s pretty impressive for an off-year election. So kudos to the people of Mahoning County who came out and voted.”

Penrose had projected turnout between 17% and 18% for this election. It ended up being 24.83%.

“It was better than I thought,” Penrose said. “That’s great. I want to be wrong when I predict low turnout.”

David Skwolnick is a political writer for the Youngstown Vindicator and Warren Tribune-Chronicle, sister Ogden newspapwers with the Columbiana Country newspapers. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @dskolnick.Contact David Skolnick by email at dskolnick@vindy.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @dskolnick.