Election board is left in limbo

By Holly Harman Fackler
Telegraph-Forum    23 June 2005

BUCYRUS Time is running out to make room for almost half a million dollars of new voting equipment scheduled for delivery before the middle of July.

At a meeting with Crawford County commissioners on Wednesday afternoon, board of election members rejected two options commissioners offered last week for resolving competing demands for space in the North Walnut Street building that houses the health and election boards.

Commissioners, who are looking for a way to move the Women, Infant and Children nutrition program out of the Southern Lights shopping center and to the Walnut Street location to save $13,200 a year in rent, had proposed allowing WIC to move into the part of the building that had been occupied by Municipal Court.

That's the part of the building the election board says will best serve its needs.

A second option would let the board have the municipal court space but leave it about 600 square feet short of what it needs to do its job.

"We didn't ask for anything we didn't need," said board member Jo Swain. "We would like you to honor what you said we could have."

Swain said the board had carefully calculated the minimum amount of space that would be needed to store the sensitive electronic units and continue the board's other activities.

Sam Kindred, project manager for election reform with the Secretary of State's office, told commissioners that the board's space requests "are not frivolous. A lot of thought had gone into this. They need what they need and I hope you can find a way to support what they need."

Swain proposed alternatives she thought would meet the health department's needs and allow the election board to proceed on the very short timeline they face.

Commissioner Mo Ressallat urged the election board to "be mindful of the county's financial position."

Swain reiterated that the board's needs haven't changed and that people would be lining up to sue the county if the integrity of the county's election process came into question.

Commissioners didn't hide their frustration with the expense and requirements of federal and state laws that are requiring the new voting equipment and space demands.

Kindred said that other counties are in a similar position, with those that didn't have available space having to construct additions.

"The whole thing is a sore subject," said Commissioner Carl Watt said of having to replace the punch-card voting system. Even though the federal government is paying the $429,000 price tag of the initial 159 units, Watt predicted that it would become "another unfunded mandate." The county already knows it will need to purchase racks, additional units, cases and supplies associated with the units.

Commissioner Ron Hoeft agreed. "If you're going to spend billions to fix it, do a few counties to get the bugs worked out," Hoeft said, adding that the high-tech machines likely would involve some costly modifications and s down the road. "I wish the government had started out slower."

Meanwhile, the clock ticks on toward deadlines that seem to be set in stone. County Administration Building Facilities Manager Dave Wier said the Walnut Street building couldn't be readied in time for delivery of the equipment and he proposed another configuration that election board members said was unworkable.

Commissioners said they would need to discuss the matter further. The board of elections will have its next regular meeting at 9 a.m. Friday.