Polling decision will cost $1.67 million
Despite the added costs, Snohomish County is sticking with polling places.

By Jeff Switzer
Herald Writer

The price tag to keep Snohomish County's polling places open has gone up, jumping from $1 million to $1.67 million to reflect ongoing costs, according to a report issued Monday.

County officials are considering where the money will come from - and entertaining the idea of taking out a loan.

"If we're going to stick with our current system, we need to figure out how to pay for it," County Councilman Dave Gossett said.

Driving the costs is a new state law that requires the county's electronic voting machines to have a voter-verifiable paper audit trail. Those machines are required by January 2006.

A way to avoid the costs is to go to an all-mail ballot.

But a majority of the County Council agreed two weeks ago that polling places and absentee ballots should continue to be used.

"I'm uncomfortable forcing people out of the polls, but I'm not exactly excited about spending $1 million," Gossett said Monday.

The debate over all-mail ballots is hot, with counties statewide opting to vote-by-mail after state law lifted restrictions this year. Twenty-six counties in Washington have decided to vote by mail, including Kitsap, which voted Monday to make the move.

On the other side, Pierce County voted Friday to keep its polling places open, and King County is mulling which way to go.

Buying the required 875 paper audit machines will cost Snohomish County taxpayers $1 million, an amount that Gossett said might be worth long-term financing.

Staying with polling places also means an additional $676,000 in annual ongoing costs, County Auditor Bob Terwilliger said. Terwilliger said he plans to request the money in his 2006 budget.

Those costs include leasing a larger warehouse for election equipment - either in Everett or the Paine Field area. Other costs include paying salaries to poll workers, equipment inspectors, technicians and warehouse staff, spare parts and vans to transport the equipment.

Gossett said two financing plans will come forward in two weeks.

County Council members John Koster and Gary Nelson have questioned the security and potential for fraud with mail-in ballots.

Koster said Monday he would be "inclined to support mail-in ballots" if voters could be compelled to re-register.

County Auditor Bob Terwilliger said there is no authority in state or federal law to require voters to re-register.

About 216,000 county voters, 61 percent, cast absentee ballots. The balance, 142,000, or 39 percent, go to the polls. The number of absentee voters might climb to 70 percent by the end of 2006. The number of needed electronic voting machines will from 900 to 700 in that time, according to estimates. Source: Snohomish County elections 
Koster said he will seek a legal opinion from county attorneys on the possibility.

Few counties had all-mail election systems before state law changed. To go to all-mail elections, Skamania County was forced to shrink precincts until each had fewer than 200 voters, Snohomish County elections manager Carolyn Diepenbrock said.

Snohomish County elections are budgeted to cost $2.95 million this year, including voter registration.

The county is paying a $5 million debt for the electronic voting machines over 15 years, Diepenbrock said.