Officials hope for new machines

State’s voting equipment now past expected 10-year lifespan

The last time the majority of Ohio counties replaced voting machines was in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election.

Following the debacle in Florida, the Help America Vote Act was passed, which gave Ohio $115 million to help pay for new equipment.

Most of that equipment has been used since 2005 or 2006 and has now passed its expected 10-year lifespan.

Lake County Elections Board Director Jan Clair hopes Ohio gets new equipment before the state has its own presidential election debacle.

Last December, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted sent a letter to Gov. John Kasich, his budget director and state legislative leaders seeking $118 million in state capital funds.

“We’re excited and hopeful we’re going to have funds

As with Ohio, many other states purchased their voting equipment between 2002 and 2008 with funding from the Help America Vote Act.

available,” Clair said.

Husted has said he wants to begin the purchasing of new equipment this year so it can be tested during the less hectic 2019 election season and kinks are worked out before the presidential election year.

Clair and Deputy Director Ross McDonald agree. When the county purchase e-pollbooks, they were piloted in selected precincts before being used countywide in the November 2017 election.

To help expedite the process, the pair said it has researched voting machines, though a final decision will not be made until after funding is finalized.

McDonald said before the decision is made, the county commissioners and the public will be invited into their office to test out the finalists.

Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy has been a vocal supporter of replacing the aging voting equipment throughout the state. He’s testified for the need in front of lawmakers in Columbus several times. He is also serving as the president of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio in 2018 and has said replacing the voting equipment is one of the priorities this year.

CCAO is supporting a bill that would have the state pay for 80 percent of the cost of new machines. The bill was introduced last year by Ohio Sen. Frank LaRose, R-Hudson, who is running for Secretary of State. The split is similar to the one the state and counties made for e-pollbook funding.

“Based on the fact that Secretary of State Husted has recommended $118 million, and Sen. LaRose is somewhere around that figure, we’ve come up with a formula based on an optical scan system,” Troy said at a recent commissioners meeting.

An optical scan voting system is an electronic voting system that uses an optical scanner to read marked paper ballots and tally the results.

Troy said the amount Lake County would receive under that formula is around $2.2 million. He said the initial request from the Elections Board to replace the county’s voting equipment was in the neighborhood of $5.6 million. Troy said they will advocate for more money than the $2.2 million offered in the formula.

“We’re going to have a difference there and obviously it’s imperative that there be very intense discussions between boards of county commissioners and boards of elections across the state so we’re all on the same page.”

What other states are doing

As with Ohio, many other states purchased their voting equipment between 2002 and 2008 with funding from the Help America Vote Act.

No new federal funding is expected to come anytime soon to replace those machines.

According to the National Council of State Legislatures, states have taken different approaches to fund new machines.

Pennsylvania in 2016 directed the Joint State Government Commission to study the issue of voting system technology

and to report to the Senate its findings and recommendations. The study was released in December 2017 and recommended the state’s General Assembly provide funding to assist counties in the purchase or lease of new equipment that complies with the requirements for a voter-verifiable paper record and adequate security measures.

California Governor Jerry Brown this year included $134 million in his budget proposal to help pay for voting equipment upgrades. According to NCSL, that’s estimated to cover half of what is needed statewide. Counties would be responsible for the other half. The budget is currently being considered with a final agreement due in June.

Last year Nevada passed a bill making $8 million available in grant funds to replace equipment. Of that, $4.5 million was allocated to Clark County (Las Vegas), $1.7 million to Washoe County (Reno), and $1.8 million to be distributed to the other counties in the state.

In Florida and Kansas, consortiums of counties banded together to negotiate contracts for new voting equipment to buy equipment in bulk to take advantage of economies of scale.

Michigan last year approved $40 million to cover upfront costs of new election equipment and five years of service and maintenance. The money comes from $30 million in leftover Help America Vote Act funds as well as $10 million through a direct appropriation. Maintenance costs for the final five years of the 10-year contract will be covered by county and local governments.