Trumbull elections board switches to paper-ballot system

WARREN — The Trumbull County Board of Elections decided to switch from its electronic, touch-screen voting system to a "deliberately low-tech" and less expensive paper-ballot system for its next election in May.

The elections board voted 3-1 today to purchase a paper system from Election System & Software of Omaha, Neb., that is similar to what voters use when they vote early at the elections board or by casting a vote in the mail.

The system requires the county to buy 150 scanners to be placed in polling places and then buy a lot more paper ballots for each election than they do now, but the cost will be much less than buying a replacement touch-screen system, said Stephanie Penrose, elections board director.