Which of 6 new voting machines?
Voters asked to choose one to replace lever type

By P.j. Reilly   Lancaster Intelligencer Journal    Oct 13, 2005

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Lancaster County voters next week will have the chance to test a sampling of electronic voting machines.

And those tests will help the county decide which machine it wants to buy in time for the May 2006 primary election.

 

From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, the public is invited to test six different machines up for consideration by the county's elections office.

Mary Stehman, chief clerk of the county's Board of Elections, said vendors who sell the machines will be on hand to give demonstrations, and people will have the chance to use the machines in mock elections.

After people use the machines, Stehman said, they will be asked to complete a questionnaire designed to provide elections officials with feedback.

Stehman said she hopes to a model for the county to purchase. Those new machines will replace the county's fleet of aging lever-action machines.

"We'd really like people to come out and test these machines and then tell us what they think," Stehman said. "That will be a big help to us in making a decision."

In other elections news, the Board of Elections Wednesday voted to post notices in various voting precincts around the county about possible changes in polling places.

Following is a list of the changes being considered and the reasons for those changes, as cited by Stehman:

?In Lancaster's Ninth Ward, Fourth Precinct, the polling place would move from Wharton Elementary School to Franklin & Marshall College's Alumni Sports & Fitness Center on Harrisburg Avenue because officials at Wharton no longer want the polling place in the school.

?In Columbia Borough's First Ward, the polling place would move from Columbia fire police headquarters to Columbia Fire Company No. 1, 137 S. Front St., because the fire police building is not adequately handicapped accessible.

?In Columbia Borough's Fourth Ward, the polling place would move from Knights of Columbus to Columbia School District Administrative Center, 200 N. Fifth St., because the school district building's renovations are complete and it is the precinct's traditional polling place.

?In Ephrata Borough's Second Ward, the polling place would move from Bethany United Church of Christ to Seventh-day Adventist Church, 223 Cedar St., because Bethany has started a day-care program that uses the voting space.

?In Ephrata Borough's Fourth Ward, the polling place would move from Ephrata Public Library to Ephrata Church of the Brethren, 201 Crescent Ave., because library officials don't want the polling place there.

?In Mountville Borough, the polling place would move from Mountville Fire Company to St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 100 W. Main St., because the fire hall is under renovation.

?In East Hempfield Township's Millcreek District, the polling place would move from Landisville Intermediate Center to the Hempfield School District office, 200 Church St., because the center no longer has space for voting.

?In West Hempfield Township's Farmdale District, the polling place would move from Farmdale Elementary School to Silver Spring Baptist Church, 4001 Marietta Ave., because school officials don't want the polling place there.

?In East Lampeter Township's Fourth District, the polling place would move from Faith Evangelical Congregational Church to the township's municipal building, 2205 Old Philadelphia Pike, because the new municipal building is better suited for voting.

Due to a realignment of voting precincts this summer, five new districts were created, which means new polling places must be designated for each.

Following is a list of polling places being considered by the Board of Elections:

?In New Holland Borough's First District, the polling place would be at Evangelical United Methodist Church, 276 W. Main St.

?In New Holland Borough's Third District, the polling place would be at Yoder's Market, 14 S. Tower Road.

?In East Cocalico Township's Smokestown District, the polling place would be at Smokestown Fire Company No. 1, 860 Smokestown Road, Denver.

?In East Cocalico Township's Stevens District, the polling place would be at Stevens Fire Company, 91 Stevens Road, Stevens.

?In East Cocalico Township's Reamstown District, the polling place would be at Salem United Church of Christ, 57 E. Church St., Reamstown.

?In Manor Township's New East District, the polling place would be at Millersville Lions Club, 190 W. Charlotte St., Millersville.

A public hearing will be held at 9:15 a.m. Oct. 19, in the county commissioners' meeting room in the courthouse to discuss the proposed polling changes and the new polling-place designations.

The designations and any changes that are made will be effective for the Nov. 8 general election.