Mahoning County election board purchases electronic poll books

YOUNGSTOWN — Beginning with the May 5 primary election, voters in Mahoning County will have new technology at polling locations that election officials say will make it quicker and more efficient to cast ballots.

The board of elections agreed today to pay $289,000 to EA (Election Administrators) of St. Louis for 200 electronic poll books.

The tablet-sized computers “cuts registration time to 18 seconds for voters,” said Joyce Kale-Pesta, the board’s director.

When voters enter a polling location, they will go to one of the poll books, swipe their driver’s license — if they don’t have a license they can use another acceptable form of identification — and it will print out a slip of paper giving voters the authority to cast ballots, she said.

Voters will then go to their polling location, give the slip to poll workers and receive ballots, Kale-Pesta said.

For the complete story, read Wednesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com