Counties prepare for more voters

Get to the election booth early, officials say.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Election officials in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys say they expect long lines at the polls next month, and urge voters to be patient.
Voters in Mahoning, Trumbull, and Columbiana counties in Ohio, and Mercer and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania usually have a bit of a wait at the polls during presidential election years. But officials expect even longer waits this year because of increases in registered voters.
Mark Munroe, chairman of the Mahoning County Board of Elections, said he is fearful that the wait to vote in next month's election will be even worse than the 2002 general election.
There were reports of people waiting more than an hour to vote in 2002, the first year Mahoning County held a general election with its electronic voting machines.
Still counting cards
Mahoning election officials are still counting and certifying voter registration cards, but the final number should be close to 200,000. That's about 20,000 more registered voters compared with 2002. The number of voters for the presidential election should be considerably higher next month than two years ago, Munroe said.
"There is a concern about long lines," he said. "When you vote on Election Day, get to the polls as early as possible. Don't wait until the last minute. Allow extra time, and be patient."
Adding to the problem, Munroe said, is the county was expecting to receive 312 additional voting machines -- one for each precinct -- for this election thanks to federal funding given to states to improve their election systems. But that money didn't make it to the county level because of concerns raised by state officials about the accuracy of electronic machines.
Munroe and other area election officials hope the increase in absentee voting will somewhat alleviate expected delays at the polls.
An option in Mercer County
James Bennington, director of the Mercer County Bureau of Registration and Elections, said those who cannot wait in long lines have an option.
"People in a big rush can request an alternate paper ballot," he said. "Their vote will be counted on election night, but that will slow down the election night count. It will be a very long night. We're not looking forward to it, but we want to make sure that every voter can vote."
There are 250 electronic voting machines for Mercer's 100 precincts, and Bennington said more are needed.
More voters in Columbiana
Lois Gall, director of Columbiana County elections board, said there will probably be 6,000 more people registered to vote in November than last year. Columbiana County voters use punch cards.
"We'll see longer lines on Election Day if all these people go out to vote," she said. "It's going to be a busy day."
In Lawrence County
Expect to wait in Lawrence County as well where the voter rolls have increased, said Marlene Gabriel, that county's bureau of registration and elections director. The county uses paper ballots.
"We have the same amount of workers and booths, but not the same number of voters," she said.
What to expect in Trumbull
Norma Williams, director of the Trumbull County elections board, said she expects a wait for voters next month, but nothing more than typical presidential election years. Trumbull uses punch cards.
Election officials in the five counties say it will be a few more weeks before they determine how many new voters registered to cast ballots in next month's election. Elections officials have to determine if the thousands of registrations are valid as well as look to see if those who recently registered are already voters.
With Ohio and Pennsylvania considered battleground states in the presidential election, several nonprofit political organizations spent months in the two states signing up people to register to vote.
Mahoning County is taking several steps to inform its residents about their voter eligibility and the location of their polling place, Munroe said.
The elections board is sending postcards to people in about a dozen precincts who will be voting next month in different polling locations. People in Trumbull and Columbiana who had their polling location changed from the primary will receive postcards informing them of the change. In Mercer and Lawrence, those with new polling locations will receive voter identification cards.
The three Ohio counties are mailing postcards to newly registered voters as soon as their eligibility is determined, and those in Mercer and Lawrence will get voter ID cards.
The Mahoning board also will send postcards to every eligible voter in about two weeks with their polling location, Munroe said. The other counties aren't doing that.
The polls in Ohio will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Election Day, and the hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Pennsylvania.
skolnick@vindy.com