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Cuyahoga Hopes For Reprive
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The Cleveland Plain Dealer June 08, 2008 |
Cuyahoga County is facing at least a $7 million bill to rent new voting equipment for the November election, unless it gets a last-minute reprieve from the state legislature.
The county commissioners are leading a late push to lift a statewide ban on the old system used by the county. If the move works, it would save about $5.5 million. The reprieve would come in the form of an amendment to the state capital bill added during conference committee work on Monday.
But the effort, which enjoys the support of Gov. Ted Strickland, is a long shot at best.
"It's really too late in the process," said State Sen. John Carey, a Republican from southeastern Ohio who was a member of the conference committee. "At this point we're not willing to do it."
State Rep. Mike Skindell, a Lakewood Democrat, has pre pared an amendment to allow Cuyahoga and two other counties to use a central-ballot count if the state won't pony up the $10 million to $15 million needed by the counties to acquire machines that would scan ballots at the polls.
Skindell is one of a half-dozen lawmakers who sit on the conference committee, made up of members from both the House and Senate. He said the three counties will be hurting if the law is not changed.
But majority-party Republican lawmakers must agree to the addition.
Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan said resistance only serves to embarrass Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat whose plan to overhaul voting in the state has largely been shot down.
"Put aside the partisanship and the posturing," Hagan said. "It costs the taxpayers millions."
Brunner ordered Cuyahoga to scrap its touch-screen machines and adopt "central-count" voting for March. Soon after, lawmakers instituted a ban on central-count to take effect after the primary. If the ban is removed, the county could keep central-count voting for November and rent machines for $1.5 million.
Brunner last week wondered why the legislature wouldn't accommodate the three boards. She said concerns about central- count voting, in which ballots are counted at the board after voting ends, have been erased.
Central-count opponents contend, however, that ballots with errors go unchecked at the polls, where voters might have a chance to correct them.
At least one member of the Cuyahoga Board of Elections, Rob Frost, doesn't want to keep central-count. "It is no more secure than punch cards," said Frost, who is chairman of the Cuyahoga County Republican Party.
If the county can't keep the equipment used in March, its options for November are limited and pricey.
Ohio boards must use federally certified voting equipment, according to state law. The latest technology won't be certified by November.
In fact, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, which certifies the machines, hasn't approved any equipment since its program was launched in January 2007.
Voting-machine companies are encouraging Cuyahoga to buy uncertified new equipment now by slashing the rental price of older-model, approved equipment.
It would be a package deal, with the county having to bank on the new equipment getting certification.
If the state law is unchanged, though, Cuyahoga is likely to rent for November.
"It's very frustrating that we continue to buy equipment," said Board of Elections member Inajo Davis Chappell. "We are not able to come up with an effective long-term strategy to buy secure, faster equipment because of the delayed federal certification process."
The election board meets Tuesday as well. If it does not make a decision for November that day, it probably will by the end of the week, said Chairman Jeff Hastings.
Plain Dealer reporter Aaron Marshall contributed to this story.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
jguillen@plaind.com, 216-999-4675
