http://fltimes.com/Main.asp?SectionID=38&SubSectionID=121&ArticleID=11011

Election mandate could boost taxes

Friday, February 10, 2006

By JIM MILLER

Finger Lakes Times, jmiller@fltimes.com

A possible change in state election policy could cost some area counties hundreds of thousands of dollars.

State election officials have been dropping hints that they may reduce the number of voters allowed to use each voting machine on Election Day, forcing counties to buy more machines, Wayne County Election Commissioner Richard Clark said yesterday.

The state currently requires counties to have one machine for every 950 voters. But, Clark said it’s been suggested that they may consider changing that to 650 voters.

“They’re looking at whether or not it would make any sense to change that number to expedite voters,” said Seneca County Election Commissioner Ruth Same. “Could it happen? Yeah, anything can happen. To be real serious about it, I don’t think it will. At least not in the short term.”

But the discussions about making a change have some area election officials nervous.

Counties across the state already need to buy new voting machines this year because of the federal Help America Vote Act, but the government has given the states money to pay for them. Wayne County, for example, received about $1 million to replace its 76 machines.

But if the state reduces to 650 the number of people who can use each machine, Wayne County would end up needing about 120 machines, Clark said.

They would cost about $300,000 or $400,000 more than the government has give the county, he said.

Yates County officials are expecting to buy 28 machines. If the voter-to-machine ratio were changed, they would need about eight more, Election Commissioner Wendy Gibson said.

“We don’t know [if the state will do] this yet,” Clark told Wayne County Supervisors at a committee meeting yesterday. “I’m not sure when it is that we’re going to find out.”

“Can we lobby?” asked Interim County Administrator Keith Kubasik.

“I’ve already done some of that,” Clark replied.

Gibson said there is no bill before the state Legislature to change the ratio, as far as she knows.

“I think it’s very preliminary at this point,” she said.

Eileen Larrabee, a spokeswoman for the state Assembly, confirmed that the voter-to-machine ratio could be changed. She said the state Board of Elections would work with county officials to set an appropriate ratio for the new voting machines.

Efforts to reach state Assemblyman Robert Oaks and state Sen. Michael Nozzolio before press time this morning were unsuccessful.

If the state does reduce the ratio, buying more machines would be a financial burden, especially for smaller counties, Gibson said.

“In Yates, we don’t really have a lot of polling sites that have lines,” Gibson said. “So I don’t think we have a problem in Yates.”