Changes to make election smoother

The elections board has set aside $50,000 for a voting machine storage system.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Trumbull County elections officials approved some procedural changes they hope will smooth out some of the difficulties experienced during the November general election.
One of the biggest changes the elections board made was to order 75 additional touch-screen voting machines, which arrived at board offices Tuesday. The November 2005 election was the first time the machines were used.
It brings the board's total to 841 machines, 18 of which are backups, said Kelly S. Pallante, elections board director. During the November election, the board nearly ran out of spare machines because it had only six at the time.
The board also learned bids were opened Monday for providing a storage system to house the voting machines. Rokey Suleman, the board's deputy director, said $50,000 was budgeted for the storage system.
The board agreed to meet at 9 a.m. April 21 in special session to recommend one of the systems to the county commissioners, who will make the purchase for the elections board.
"We're looking at a $2.4 million investment back there," Suleman said of the voting machines, which are kept in the back room at the elections offices. He said the system will improve the safety and security of the machines.
Why system is needed
The machines are currently kept on a concrete floor, and the storage system will get them off the floor and enable elections workers to locate specific voting machines and the memory cards in them more effectively, he said.
In the November election, workers were forced to lay on the floor to remove memory cards and perform other jobs on the equipment, he said. Suleman expects the system to be in place by June for use in all elections thereafter.
Board members also agreed on procedures to use when absentee voters fail to provide required information to get absentee ballots sent to them.
People submitting incomplete requests for ballots received on the Friday or Saturday before the election will be sent a letter stating the voter must now vote absentee the Monday before the election or vote at their polling place on Election Day.
Any incomplete requests received on the Thursday before the election, or earlier, will receive a letter indicating that they need to provide the correct information to receive their absentee ballot in the mail.
Elections officials agreed to spend about $3,000 in federal Help America Vote Act money to purchase a touch-screen voter education kiosk that could be used in schools, libraries, the Trumbull County Fair and elsewhere to provide voter education on a number of topics, such as absentee voting.
Board members also approved changes at two polling places effective with the May 2 primary election. Voters who formerly used the Rebecca Williams Community Center in Warren will be moved to the cafeteria at the Trumbull Community Action Program building on Palmyra Road Southwest.
Voters whose precinct was at Braceville United Methodist Church will use the Braceville Township Fire Station across the street on Braceville Robinson Road.