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Making Voting Easy, Secure
The Intelligencer
August 20, 2008
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner recently made two excellent decisions in regard to the upcoming general election. One will make it easier for voters to participate. The other will avoid at least some of the questions that will, inevitably, arise in regard to security.
On the latter question, Brunner has issued an edict against "sleepovers." That is the practice by some county elections boards of allowing poll workers to take voting machines home with them during the days before an election. On election day, they simply take the machines to polling places.
Some elections officials say the practice saves them money. It allows them to rely on election workers to transport machines to polling places. They don't have to pay someone else to move the machines from storage sites.
Brunner decided against the practice because of concerns about security. That was wise. Allowing poll workers to take the machines home would raise questions about tampering - and that's the last thing Ohio needs.
In another situation, Brunner has sided with some Franklin County officials who want to keep the elections board office open on Saturdays and Sundays, to make it easier for voters to cast absentee ballots.
We encourage East Ohio elections boards to offer weekend hours for processing of absentee ballots, too. That will make it easier for Ohioans to participate in the election - and may lessen lines at polling places on Nov. 4.
