Politics 2008:The Caucuses and The Dem/Rep Conventions

[CrimsonTide4]

Ohio used to have voting machines but last Spring they voted to do away with it from what I remember hearing on the news while in Ohio last May.

TonyB, can elaborate more for me.

[ladylike]

Originally Posted by CrimsonTide4

Ohio used to have voting machines but last Spring they voted to do away with it from what I remember hearing on the news while in Ohio last May.

TonyB, can elaborate more for me.

Are you referring to the touch screen voting machines?

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally Posted by ladylike

Are you referring to the touch screen voting machines?

Yup, I forget you're in Ohio too.

[ladylike]

Originally Posted by CrimsonTide4

...I forget you're in Ohio...

I try to forget, too.

The last two primaries I've participated in had touch screen voting machines.
One was a little more antiquated than the other.

The new secretary of state wants Ohio to go back to paper ballots. I'm not sure how many counties have done so (if at all).

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally Posted by ladylike

I try to forget, too.

The last two primaries I've participated in had touch screen voting machines.
One was a little more antiquated than the other.

The new secretary of state wants Ohio to go back to paper ballots. I'm not sure how many counties have done so (if at all).

Yeah, this is what I was referring to earlier.

[TonyB06]

Originally Posted by CrimsonTide4

Ohio used to have voting machines but last Spring they voted to do away with it from what I remember hearing on the news while in Ohio last May.

TonyB, can elaborate more for me.

Ohio has several issues:

- there is no consistent system statewide. Some counties use touch pad, others use paper ballots;

- Voting apparatus is not always sufficiently maintained, leading to machine breakdowns, misplaced or "lost" paper ballots....I can't say it's exclusive to urban areas, but I've never heard/read of voting machines in affluent communities having problems.

- Insufficient quantity of working machines (again, this appears more often in urban communities. I've seen simular reports from Columbus and Cincinnati). Given that counties know the number of registered voters in their counties, this one is really mystifying... or not.

- There is no legal requirement, so far as I can tell, for counties to maintain proper working order of whatever system they use. This results in election day machine breakdowns, longer lines and delays which disuade people from voting.

State election officials about 4 months ago ordered Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), which has had a lot of these issues in the last few elections to step its game up. What enforcement ability the state has to mandate changes isn't known. They toured the Cuy County Bd. of Elections last week and said everything was "all good," but, you can take that for whatever you feel it's worth.

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by TonyB06

Ohio has several issues:

- there is no consistent system statewide. Some counties use touch pad, others use paper ballots;

- Voting apparatus is not always sufficiently maintained, leading to machine breakdowns, misplaced or "lost" paper ballots....I can't say it's exclusive to urban areas, but I've never heard/read of voting machines in affluent communities having problems.

- Insufficient quantity of working machines (again, this appears more often in urban communities. I've seen simular reports from Columbus and Cincinnati). Given that counties know the number of registered voters in their counties, this one is really mystifying... or not.

- There is no legal requirement, so far as I can tell, for counties to maintain proper working order of whatever system they use. This results in election day machine breakdowns, longer lines and delays which disuade people from voting.

State election officials about 4 months ago ordered Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), which has had a lot of these issues in the last few elections to step its game up. What enforcement ability the state has to mandate changes isn't known. They toured the Cuy County Bd. of Elections last week and said everything was "all good," but, you can take that for whatever you feel it's worth.

wow, that is crazy.