http://www.fltimes.com/Main.asp?SectionID=38&SubSectionID=121&ArticleID=10643
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
By JIM MILLER
Finger Lakes Times, jmiller@fltimes.com
ARCADIA — New voting regulations led to some confusion at
the Town Board’s organizational meeting last night.
The federal Help America Vote Act requires counties to take
ownership of all the lever-action voting machines currently in use and purchase
new machines, which the counties must maintain and store. But the state has
fallen behind in implementing the law, leaving local officials wondering what
to do.
On the agenda last night were the annual resolutions
providing for town election inspectors and voting machine custodians as well as
the resolution making provisions to store the machines.
Several board members said they weren’t sure whether they
should pass the resolutions, pass them with language saying they would only be
in force until the voting act was implemented, or not pass them at all.
Town Clerk Diane Allerton said she had received a letter
from the county stating that the town’s machines were now county-owned, as
mandated by the law. She said she had informed county officials of how much the
town was paying to store the machines.
Councilman Gary Grant suggested telling the storage facility
to bill the county in the future.
He also suggested not passing the resolution appointing
custodians and the storage resolution. They could be passed later in the year
if needed, he said.
The other board members agreed.
“Just because it’s the organizational meeting doesn’t mean
we have to solve all the problems for the whole year,” Grant said.
The board did make provision for town election inspectors.
State officials need to create a list of approved voting
machines for county officials to choose from. County officials must then buy
the machines, transport them to towns and villages for elections and store them
when not in use.
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