Elk Township is one of the twelve townships

Civil township

A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...

 of Vinton County

Vinton County, Ohio

Vinton County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,435. , the least populous in the state. Its county seat is McArthur. The county is named for Samuel Finley Vinton, a 19th-century United States Congressman from...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The 2000 census

United States Census, 2000

The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

 found 3,134 people in the township, 1,246 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.

Geography

Located in the center of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Swan Township
  Swan Township, Vinton County, Ohio
  Swan Township is one of the twelve townships of Vinton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 796 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
  : north
• Brown Township
  Brown Township, Vinton County, Ohio
  Brown Township is one of the twelve townships of Vinton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 281 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
  : northeast corner
• Madison Township
  Madison Township, Vinton County, Ohio
  Madison Township is one of the twelve townships of Vinton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 682 people in the township, 307 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
  : east
• Vinton Township
  Vinton Township, Vinton County, Ohio
  Vinton Township is one of the twelve townships of Vinton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 558 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southern part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Madison Township: north...
  
  : southeast corner
• Clinton Township
  Clinton Township, Vinton County, Ohio
  Clinton Township is one of the twelve townships of Vinton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,045 people in the township, 1,174 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
  : south
• Richland Township
  Richland Township, Vinton County, Ohio
  Richland Township is one of the twelve townships of Vinton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,667 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Jackson Township: north...
  
  : west
• Jackson Township
  Jackson Township, Vinton County, Ohio
  Jackson Township is one of the twelve townships of Vinton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 714 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
  : northwest

It is one of only two townships in Vinton County without a border on other counties.

The village of McArthur

McArthur, Ohio

McArthur is a village in Vinton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,888 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Vinton County.-Geography:McArthur is located at ....

, the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 and largest village of Vinton County, is located in central Elk Township.

Name and history

Statewide, the only other Elk Township is located in Noble County

Elk Township, Noble County, Ohio

Elk Township is one of the fifteen townships of Noble County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 305 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...

, plus an Elkrun Township

Elkrun Township, Columbiana County, Ohio

Elkrun Township is one of the eighteen townships of Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,781 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...

 in Columbiana County

Columbiana County, Ohio

Columbiana County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 107,841. It is named for Christopher Columbus and the county seat is Lisbon....

.

Government

The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer, who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.