Elections board to have two automatic recounts

A board official estimated the cost of elections may triple.
LISBON -- The Columbiana County Board of Elections will have two automatic recounts at 8:30 a.m. Monday.
The board on Monday certified the results of the Nov. 7 election with no changes from those announced on election night.
However, the board must have a recount for two issues in which the vote was within one-half of 1 percent. One issue is a levy for the St. Clair Township police department, which was defeated with 1,549 against and 1,532 for. The second was a defeat of a 2-mill West Township road levy by one vote. Some 534 voters were against it.
John Payne, board of elections deputy director, told board members he and director Lois Gall will meet with the commissioners over the election board's 2007 budget.
New expense
Payne said that next year the county will have to pick up costs for the federally mandated move to electronic voting.
Under the former punch ballot system, the board estimated it cost 500 to operate one precinct. Payne said that cost will rise to 1,400 to 1,700 a precinct. The county has 103 precincts.
Payne told the board of the increased costs, "It even shocked us."
The cost was attributed to having to hire private companies to program the computers to have the elections.
Payne said the Beaver Local School District, which did not approve the local share of a state program to build new school facilities, asked about the costs of a special election. Payne said it dropped the idea after being told a special election would run a minimum of 27,000.