Mahoning commissioners authorize purchase of electronic poll books

YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County commissioners this morning authorized the purchase of $289,000 worth of electronic poll books for the board of elections from Election Administration LLC of St. Louis.

The 200 poll books, designed to make voting quicker and more efficient, have been approved by the county board of elections and will make their debut here in the May 5 primary.

The tablet-sized computers reduce voter registration check-in time at the polls to 18 seconds, said Joyce Kale-Pesta, elections director.

When entering a polling place, voters will go to a poll book and swipe their driver’s licenses. The poll book will print out a slip of paper granting authority to vote, which the voter will hand to a poll worker, who will issue the voter a ballot.

In the traditional process, a poll worker looks up the voter’s name in a large paper binder listing people registered in a precinct; and the voter signs in another book before getting a voting slip and a paper ballot.

Only 75 of the electronic poll books will be used in the May primary, which features tax levies in Craig Beach and the South Range school district and races in only Youngstown and Struthers.

Mahoning will the ninth of Ohio’s 88 counties to get electronic poll books.

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