Thursday, April 18th, 2019
Auglaize board to purchase equipment
Voting machines, scanners approved
By Tom Stankard
WAPAKONETA - Auglaize County Board of Elections members agreed on Wednesday to purchase new ballot scanners, voting machines and other equipment with leftover state funds.
The board had been allocated $573,321 as part of $115 million split among counties to replace voting machines under a bill approved by the Ohio Legislature.
Of that money, director Michelle Wilcox has said $246,100 was reimbursed to the county's general fund after officials approved buying 46 DS200 ballot scanner machines from 2014-2016. Wilcox noted the purchase was approved several years ago because officials knew they would be reimbursed after she collaborated with state legislators and the Ohio Association of Elected Officials for several years.
Money allocated to the board must be spent or it will be lost, Wilcox has told board members.
Members discussed how to spend the remaining $327,221 during an April 10 meeting and agreed on Wednesday to purchase six more DS200 machines to replace aging ones, 20 ballot-making systems with canopies and privacy screens, a ballot-counting system, election software, licensing, support and training fees for the software, warranty fees and other miscellaneous items totaling $325,611.
Members agreed to look into purchasing additional ballot-making devices with the remaining $1,610 so they can have spares on hand in case of malfunctions. The spending plan will be sent to the Secretary of State's Office before Friday's deadline.
Funding couldn't come soon enough, Wilcox said, as the new ballot-marking systems replace those purchased more than 15 years ago that are "breaking down, and we can't get parts."
Also on Wednesday, members publicly tested the machines to be used for the May 7 election. Law requires election officials to test and audit the machines to verify accuracy. Board members at the previous meeting also conducted logic and accuracy testing. This test was not considered public and was intended to verify that the ballot-counting system will correctly count the votes cast for all candidates and issues. So far, 17 people have voted in person and 28 people have submitted absentee ballots.
