Bill would make state cover most of costs of new voting machines

Most voting equipment in Ohio is now over a decade old.

The equipment used by most of Ohio’s 88 counties was purchased in 2005 or 2006 through the federally funded Help America Vote Act.

Elections officials in Lake County have said their 12-year-old machines are still in good working order, but are nearing the end of their lifespan, as is the case in many counties across Ohio.

An Ohio Senate bill that would require the state to pay 80 percent of the cost of new equipment had its first Senate Finance Committee hearing Sept. 26.

“All over the country, states are beginning to seek funding for voting machines in preparation for the next presidential election,” said the bill’s sponsor Sen. Frank LaRose, RHudson, in his Sept. 26 testimony.

Help America Vote Act funds were a one-time payment in reaction to the 2000 presidential election, when the country’s elections results were questioned over outdated voting methods, LaRose said.

“Ohio, like most of the country, no longer has money left over from HAVA,” he said. “With a decade or more old equipment, we need to identify funding for voting equipment in order to ensure future elections are not compromised by failing machines.”

LaRose, who is running for secretary of state, said that while widespread failure is not occurring, there are minor errors and glitches that are becoming more common with each election.

“This equipment comprises the essential infrastructure of our democracy, and it is a shared state and local responsibility to ensure it is properly maintained,” he said.

The proposed bill calls for $89 million to be spent on election machines. Of that, $7 million would be used to reimburse counties that already have purchased new voting machines.

The 80-20 percent split is similar to the 85-15 percent split of the cost between the state and the counties for electronic pollbooks.

An Ohio Legislative Service Commission analysis of the bill states that the bill does not specify what happens if the amount allocated is not enough to cover 80 percent of a county’s cost.

“Because the bill does not authorize the state to pay more than 80 percent of that cost, and continuing law makes counties responsible for the cost of voting equipment, the county might be required to pay the difference,” the analysis states.

“Alternatively, a county might attempt to claim a larger payment from the state because the bill states that the county is entitled to payment of 80 percent of the cost.”