Commission comes out against voting machines
2004-02-12
By Nick Claussen
Athens NEWS Associate Editor

The Athens County Commissioners have been arguing with the county Board of Elections over new electronic voting machines for the county, and now some members of the Board of Elections are at odds with one another over the issue, too.

The voting machines are the electronic, touch-screen voting machines that the Board of Elections hopes to have in place in the county for the first time in the May 2005 primary.

Federal and state requirements required boards of elections in counties throughout Ohio to choose the types of voting machines they want to use this January, and the Athens County Board of Elections chose the Diebold brand.

While that choice seemed to end the debate over the types of voting machines the county would use, the Athens County Commissioners reheated the discussion with a letter to the Board of Elections. The letter, dated Feb. 5, explains why the commissioners oppose the new voting machines and why they will have no part in any purchase of machines.

But while the commissioners don't want new voting machines for the county, Board of Elections members say they don't need the commissioners' support in order to buy the new voting machines.

The letter from the commissioners asks the Board of Elections to slow down the process of buying the new machines because of several potential problems with the voting machines.

"We feel we should not be included in the process of purchasing voting systems because we are not involved in the bidding or ion process, there are no funds available to use to make a 'purchase,' and there are no contracts or agreements involved in this process," the commissioners state in the letter.

The letter then asks the Board of Elections to slow down the process of buying the voting machines because of concerns the commissioners have about the voting equipment. According to the commissioners, the voting machines have not been proven to be accurate, and they can be manipulated or tampered with by amateurs.

The commissioners also argue that since the machines leave no paper trail, there is no way to do a visible recount of an election. Also, many voting precincts in the county are not equipped to handle the new machines, according to the commissioners.

The commissioners state in the letter that Board of Elections members say that up to 40 more machines will be needed above what the federal government will pay for. That could mean an expense of up to $120,000 that Athens County cannot afford, the letter states.

The current voting machines work well, and the commissioners do not support the idea of switching to computerized machines, the letter states.

THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS is divided over the idea of the voting machines and the points the commissioners are making. Board Chair Susan Gwinn said Monday that she agrees with the concerns of the commissioners. Board member Bruce Mitchell (who is also publisher of The Athens NEWS), said Monday that he strongly disagrees with every point the commissioners make in their letter. Mitchell and Gwinn are the Democratic members of the four-seat elections board.

Mitchell argued that the machines have proved themselves to be accurate and reliable. As for concerns about security, Mitchell maintained that the machines can't be tampered with. The same security system that keeps people from stealing money from Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs which are made by Diebold) will keep people from breaking into a voting machine and fixing an election, he said. It would take hundreds of people to be involved in a conspiracy to fix an election in Athens County, and that is not going to happen, according to Mitchell.

A paper trail for an election is a bad idea because if people have receipts showing whom they voted for they can sell their votes, Mitchell said.

He pointed out that being able to trace someone's voting history is a bad idea in general, and goes against the whole idea of a secret ballot.

"You don't want a paper trail," Mitchell argued. "That invites fraud." He added that a so-called paper trail is not needed for a recount, as the computer can just recount the election without paper.

While the commissioners say they don't want to pay for 40 more machines, Mitchell maintained that the county won't have to pay for anything. The county won't need 40 extra machines and the federal government will pay for everything. The county will not have any extra costs, Mitchell said.

The county is legally mandated to change voting machines and to refuse to make such a change will defy the law, Mitchell said. He added added that he is very upset about the actions of the commissioners and the way they are pressuring the Board of Elections to slow down or stop the purchase of the voting machines.

"This is pure demagoguery," Mitchell declared.

Mitchell plans to reiterate all of his points, and his disagreement with the county commissioners, at the Board of Elections meeting today at noon. This will be Mitchell's last meeting with the elections board, as his term is ending and longtime local attorney William Lavelle is replacing him.

Gwinn, meanwhile, said she basically agrees with all the points the commissions made in their letter. She is concerned about the security of the voting machines, and said several studies have shown problems with the machines.

Gwinn predicts that the county will need 40 more machines than it is being funded to purchase, and the county could end up paying up to $120,000 on the machines. She also would like to slow down the process of buying the machines, but added that the board members were under the impression from state leaders that they had to make a choice on which voting machines to buy in January.

Although the county commissioners said they will not be involved in the purchase of the new voting machines, Gwinn said the actions of the commissioners probably won't slow down the process of buying the new machines.

Elections board member Howard Stevens, one of the two Republican members, said the county might need to purchase extra voting machines for presidential elections, but he's not sure.

"Let's wait and see," Stevens said. "It might be a possibility." He said he's confident in the security of the new voting machines, and predicted that after the change is made, area residents will appreciate the new machines. The equipment will make it easier to vote and will speed up the voting process, Stevens said.

While many people like the existing voting system, he added, the fact is that the county is being required to purchase the new machines.

"None of us wants the change, but it's federal law," Stevens said. The debate over whether or not the county should buy the new machines is moot, because the county was forced to make a change and the board already voted to buy the new machines from Diebold, Stevens said.