Miami County plans to avoid election mishaps
Board trying to decide on machine placement

By Nancy Bowman   Dayton Daily News   23 September 2005

TROY | Miami County election officials don't want any more Election Day nightmares.
Election board members asked the staff Wednesday to come up with a plan by Oct. 3 on how the more than 300 new electronic voting machines will be deployed to 52 voting locations.

Board members said having the machines ready for voting at 6:30 a.m. is the first consideration, not the cost. Some expressed concern about reliability of outsourcing the set up and tear down, particularly if those hired are not familiar with polling locations.

"You talk about egg on your face ... if these machines are not out there and set up," board member Kelly Gillis said.

Elections Director Steve Quillen said he's received a range of prices when talking with moving companies and Dayton Legal Blank, which contracts to set up and take down election equipment.

When the old optical scan system with paper ballots was used, voting booths could be set up ahead of time and ballots taken to the polls by the precinct judges on Election Day.

At $2,700 each, the machines must be handled differently, Quillen said.

Board member Richard Adams said the election, although not the largest since the elections board was replaced in 2002, could be the most complicated because of "so many unknowns."

The board resigned, new administrators hired and elections operations placed on state administrative oversight after a chaotic November 2001 election in which 29 of 82 precincts had ballot shortages.

The oversight was lifted last year.

Because of the unknowns, Adams said the board needs to develop the best plan to deploy machines at each polling place irrespective of cost. "If it goes poorly, no one is going to thank us for saving a few thousand dollars."