Officials set to accept scanning equipment

An appeals court ruling will keep a liquor option off the ballot.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- The Columbiana County Board of Elections plans to meet today to accept the state's new voting system.
Elections Director John Payne said board members will sign for about $1.4 million worth of optical scanning equipment.
Payne added the elections board won't handle the money. The signing will simply allow the county to receive the new system.
The system, however, won't arrive in time for this year's election; the county will use its punch-card ballot system.
It wasn't clear when the equipment will arrive. Payne said the elections board will get "two to three semis full of equipment." He's trying to find warehouse space to store it.
The scanners are small devices that weigh about 15 pounds, Payne said.
Each scanner will rest on top of a metal ballot box that Payne estimated weighs about 60 pounds.
Separate ruling
In other election developments, the 7th District Court of Appeals has ruled that a liquor option won't go before Fairfield Township voters because of a mistake by the board of elections.
Doss Petroleum, 3952 state Route 7, wanted voters to approve sales of beer, wine and mixed beverages.
The company had to get a certificate from the elections board stating the number of voters' signatures needed to place the issue on the ballot.
The board said the company needed 82 signatures, but the correct number was 96. Doss collected only 92 valid signatures.
The elections board admitted it made a mistake.
Payne said he knew of the ruling but hadn't read it. He said previously that he would do whatever the appeals court said, and noted the company can try to place the issue on the ballot again.
The appeals court found several technical faults with the company's appeal.
But Judge Joseph J. Vukovich, one of three judges who made the ruling, said he found it disturbing that an elections official can fill out a required form wrong -- then use the mistake to keep the issue off the ballot.
The judge suggested it may be better to have people calculate the figure themselves.
wilkinson@vindy.com