Greene likely to get maximum grant for voting

BY CARA HOST    Observer-Reporter    29 June 2005

WAYNESBURG ? Greene County will likely receive the maximum grant amount afforded through the federal Help America Vote Act, but local officials worry that it may not be enough to cover the purchase of new voting machines.

A state advisory board recommended Monday that the three counties, which were affected by the state's decision to decertify their touch-screen voting machines earlier this year, should be eligible for $8,000, as opposed to $3,000 per precinct in federal money.

The panel's decision is non-binding, but the Department of State normally follows the board's advice, according to Brian McDonald, spokesman for the department.

The larger grant allotment was set aside for counties that need to replace voting systems that are considered antiquated in order to comply with new federal voting standards. Counties that only have to upgrade their systems will receive $3,000 per precinct.

Greene, Mercer and Beaver counties were forced to implement new voting systems after the Department of State outlawed their UniLect Patriot system in April. The system failed two examinations. Also, the UniLect machines have drawn criticism for a seemingly high percentage of undervotes among the counties that used the machines.

Greene County should receive $352,000 to purchase new equipment for its 44 precincts.

The higher grant allocation is somewhat good news for Greene County, but Commissioner John Gardner said Tuesday that it may not be enough when considering inflation. When the county switched to electronic voting in 1998, it cost $318,000 for 95 machines.

"The people of Greene County will probably still have to pay a good bit of this, and I think that's a shame," said Gardner, who also serves as chairman of the county's election board.

Local officials have frequently been critical of the state's decision to decertify the UniLect system since they had been satisfied with the machines.

Greene County voters cast their ballots through pen and paper in the May 17 primary. Optical scan machines automatically tabulated the votes, but the process took considerably longer compared to the touch-screen method.

Local governments have until Jan. 1, 2006, to comply with the Help America Vote Act, but the state has not yet determined which machines will be legal to use. Examinations will be administered in the next several weeks; UniLect Corp. will be among the companies vying for the state's approval.

"We hope to have a list compiled by the end of summer," McDonald said. "Counties are certainly able to start the process now and start getting bids from vendors, but there is no guarantee that those vendors are going to get certification."

Gardner said Greene County will likely wait.

"It would be foolish to buy now," he said. "We'll just have to wait to see what they certify or decertify."

That will impose a tight timeline on implementing a new system in time for the November general election. Election Director Frances Pratt said establishing a new system within that timeline was possible, but not likely. Voters will likely vote through the paper-based, optical scan method for the general election.

The spring primary cost Greene County about $46,000, for rental equipment, the printing of ballots and other costs. The state promised to reimburse the counties for those extra expenses but no decision has been made whether to do so again for the November election.