Miami County set to recount 7,500 paper ballots (OH)
Dayton Daily News. November 5, 2008. By Nancy Bowman, Staff Writer

TROY — Miami County election officials were making arrangements early Wednesday, Nov. 5, to recount up to 7,500 paper ballots following the failure of a ballot scanner memory card.

The failure occurred late Tuesday as election officials were "this close" to finishing the count of paper ballots cast in Tuesday's presidential election, elections board member Jose Lopez said as he held two finger slightly apart.

The delay in a final count sent most supporters of school and other issues home around midnight. They had seen the results of votes cast on electronic voting machines across the county.

Two Tipp City school representatives — Superintendent John Kronour and levy committee chairman Jim McKee — were the only ones who stayed behind as they awaited results of the district's two levies.

Around 9:30 p.m., elections officials said it would take time to count the paper ballots cast Tuesday because they had to be scanned and ballots with questioned markings checked by the board. The Tuesday paper ballot results were to be added with results of the thousands of paper ballots used in absentee and early voting for the final election tally.

Then, the mechanical failure occurred, leaving election officials with 10 boxes of ballots that had to be rescanned.

Extra scanners from Premier Elections office in Montgomery County had to be brought in because those used to count this election's vote could not be used for another count until the election results are certified, elections Director Steve Quillen said.

The recount was expected to begin around 2 a.m. Wednesday and the board planned to meet at 7:30 a.m. to approve the unofficial totals.

"We're going to stay the course," board Chairman Roger Luring said around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The Secretary of State's office said the count needed to be done by noon Wednesday, board member Robert Huffman Jr. said.