LAWRENCE COUNTY Board cuts number of its polling sites

County officials are considering buying touch-screen voting machines.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The Lawrence County election board is whittling down polling sites in the county in an effort to save money.
County officials say they expect to save about $4,000 during this first phase of consolidation, which involves 12 polling sites in New Castle.
It's unclear how much money the county will save in future consolidations, but officials plan to continue looking at reducing the number of polling sites. Before Tuesday's consolidation, there were 106 precincts in the county.
Election board members agreed to eliminate six precincts by combining them with other precincts. In all cases, there were two polling precincts in the same building. A public hearing must also be held in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court before the new precincts are official. No hearing date has been set.
Elections Director Marlene Gabriel said the change is possible because of a change in state law that allows up to 1,200 voters in one precinct. Previously the state only permitted 600 to 800 voters in one precinct and the county was forced to house more than one precinct in a building to meet those numbers, she said.
List of changes
The following precincts in New Castle will be combined into one in the coming election:
UWard 2, Precinct 2 and Ward 2, Precinct 4 at the New Castle Senior High School.
UWard 3, Precinct 1 and Ward 3, Precinct 2 at the Lawrence County Government Center warehouse.
UWard 3, Precinct 5 and Ward 3, Precinct 6 at the Croton Elementary School.
UWard 4, Precinct 2, Ward 4, Precinct 4 at Epworth United Methodist Church on East Washington Street.
UWard 5, Precinct 2 and Ward 5, Precinct 3 at Lighthouse Pentecostal Church on Lyndall Street.
UWard 7, Precinct 1 and Ward 7, precinct 4 at Church of Genesis on North Cedar Street.
Gabriel said the savings will be seen when the county is able to phase out one set of elected officials from each polling site. She said no one will lose their jobs in the coming election, but as their positions come up for re-election, only one seat will be up for election to cover each new precinct.
Mulling a new system
Election board members said consolidation will also help if the county buys a touch-screen voting system.
County officials plan to meet in February with representatives from UniLect of Dublin, Calif., the only company certified to sell touch-screen voting machines in Pennsylvania.
County election board members have said switching from paper ballots to touch-screen voting should pay for itself by eliminating paper costs and labor.
Gabriel also noted that there are no longer replacement parts available for the machines that count the paper ballots.
The touch-screen machines and accompanying software is expected to cost about $1 million.
County election board members also agreed to increase salaries for election workers. Judges of election will get a $15 raise bringing that one-day salary up to $80. All others will receive a $10 raise, making $60 per day. The minority inspector, who must accompany the judge of election to the courthouse with the ballots on election night, will earn $70 per election this year.