New voting machines set to debut in Jefferson County

STEUBENVILLE -- The Jefferson County Board of Elections is unveiling new voting equipment, but most voters won't get a chance to use it until the November general election because of the lack of candidates and issues on the May 7 primary ballot.

Diane Gribble, board of elections director, said a paper-ballot system will replace the touch-screen machines voters have been using since 2005.

The system is simple.

A voter will fill in an oval circle next to a candidate's name or for a levy or issue. The voter will then put the ballot through an optical scanner, which will tabulate the voter's choices. The ballot will be scanned into memory and then drop into a secure box on the other end of the scanner.

The county received $806,000 in funding from the state to purchase the system.

Gribble said touch-screen machines at the time had a life expectancy of 10 years.

"We certainly got our money out of them," she said.

The board of elections noted the new system was purchased with state funding with no county money.

She said the check-in process for voters will be the same. Voters will get a paper ballot instead of a card used in the touch-screen machines. The scanner will notify the voter if they missed a race or issue or voted for more than the allowed number of candidates. Gribble said, if an error is made by the voter, they can get another paper ballot or can choose to have the scanner accept the ballot as marked, even if there is an error.

USB flash drives on the scanners will be brought to the board of elections office where the flash drives will be loaded into the main tabulation computers. The old system had about 300 election cards which had to be uploaded to the tabulation computers at the board of elections. The new system will only have 50 flash drives.

Gribble said election results should be available quicker with the new system. She said poll workers still have to drive to the board of elections office from the precincts.

Voters with a disability will have special equipment to assist them, whether they are visually impaired, can't hold a pen or have shaky hands. There will be voting booths at a height accessible to those in wheelchairs, Gribble said.

"It doesn't get any easier than a paper ballot, as long as (voters) follow the instructions and fill in the oval dot. It will be easier for poll workers. They won't have to manage the touch-screen machines," she said.

Poll workers had a lot of equipment to handle with the touch-screen machines, in addition to turning on each machine and making sure it is working properly. Poll workers now will only have to turn on the scanners.

"It will be all set up for them," she said. "Poll workers should have a little bit of a learning curve, but it should be easier for them."

There will only be seven of the 71 precincts open for the May 7 primary election.

Toronto has a contested Democratic primary election for council at large. Four candidates filed for three seats. There are four precincts in Toronto.

Wells Township filed two additional tax levies to make up for revenue lost by the proposed devaluation by Buckeye Power at the Cardinal Plant. There are three precincts in the township.

"This election is a good test for the process," Gribble said. "November will be the real test."

The November general election will have races for cities, villages, townships and school boards.

The board of elections will have the expense of sending the ballots to a printer for each election, Gribble said.

She said each ballot will have a bar code, ensuring the voter has the correct ballot.

The board of elections purchased new voting booths. Each booth has four voting stations. Each precinct will receive one booth, so four people can vote at a time.

Early voting and absentee voting procedures will remain the same.

Gribble said the board of elections is planning on an open house during the summer, so people can come in and use the new system. The board also will have a scanner set up during the summer so voters can use the new system.

"We want people to get used to it," she said, adding the 2020 election, including the presidential race, will probably result in a large voter turnout.