Board of elections should focus on what's important

Last January, Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell announced that all counties in Ohio would have the paper ballot/optical scanner voting system in place for the 2006 primary election because the General Assembly is requiring a voter-verified paper audit trail. The requirement puts the state in compliance with the federal Help America Vote Act.
Given the federal mandate, we wonder why the Mahoning County Board of Elections is trying to get a waiver from the Legislature. The board wants to continue using its touch-screen voting system, which does not provide a paper printout of the ballot cast by a voter. The system was purchased in 2002 to replace the paper ballot/optical scanner system in use for 18 years. Blackwell has pledged a $2 million reimbursement to Mahoning County, which is over and above what it will cost the state to install the new "paper-based precinct count optical voting devices" in the county.
Thus, rather than spend its time trying to get a waiver for 2006, we would suggest the board prepare for the upcoming May 3 primary election by adopting a report issued by the League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown.
The report is based on the league's review of the 2004 November general election, and makes two main recommendations: first, the board should improve the touch-screen voting units so there aren't errant results; second, board employees and voters should be better educated in various aspects of the election, including the use of the touch-screens.
With the contest for the Democratic nomination for Youngstown mayor generating a lot of public interest -- eight candidates have filed petitions in the no-incumbent race -- the board of elections must make sure that there aren't the kinds of hiccups that caused Mahoning County to be in the national media spotlight after the November election.
The complete but unofficial results were finalized at 1:30 a.m., six hours after the polls closed, because of problems with counting votes. A negative 25 million spewed out by the electronic ballot cartridges in some precincts became part of the national story about the presidential election and problems at the polls.
Systemic problems
While the official, final vote count vindicated the touch-screen system, the league of women voters found some systemic problems that must be addressed. For instance, precinct workers did not understand certain rules pertaining to elections; precinct workers allowed voters to wear campaign shirts and buttons into the polling places; the role of party challengers was not understood; 25 to 30 touch-screen units had to be recalibrated because votes for one candidate were recorded for another candidate.
One of the reasons given by elections officials for votes being misrecorded is static electricity. We believe the system's manufacturer should be required to come up with a solution .
While a voter has the ability to review his ballot before he confirms it, this isn't always done. Unfamiliarity with the system, or pressure to quickly get in and out of the voting booth because of the long lines can cause anxiety.
If the May primary is anything like the election of 2002 when the city of Youngstown had an income-tax increase on the ballot, the polling places will be jammed, there will be lots of confusion, and a goodly number of voters will have difficulty using the touch-screens.
It is incumbent on the board of elections to make sure that as many voters as possible become familiar with the system prior to May 3.