Sat Mar 13 2010
by Marc Kovac
Capital Bureau chief
Columbus -- County elections officials need to implement increased security measures and take pains to ensure voting machines, ballots and facilities are safe, the head of the Stark County Elections Board told an audience in Columbus June 25.
"This is not the year to be complacent," said Election Board Director Jeff Matthews. "We will have scrutiny in every county. All counties will be subject to wild accusations and rumors. If you don't have these minimum security arrangements, you will be vulnerable to these kinds of allegations."
Matthews was part of a statewide group working to draft minimum security measures to be implemented at all elections board offices. He spoke during a "Summit on Voting Security," part of a statewide meeting of county elections officials headed by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
Election board directors and board members spent three days in the state capital in preparation for the November general election and a voter turnout that Brunner has estimated could reach 80 percent.
Sessions were offered on poll worker training, precinct place access issues, voter identification requirements and absentee and early voting guidelines.
The June 25 session kicked off with the security summit, with a focus on new minimum measures that boards will be implementing to reduce tampering or mishandling of voting machines and ballots. Additionally, county elections boards are being asked to submit security plans to the Secretary of State in advance of the November election.
"The more that we have things documented about how we handle the equipment, the better off we'll be in terms of having a transparent process," Brunner said. "And the more we have consistency across the state in terms of how we do this, the better positions we'll be in from a litigation or lawsuit standpoint."
Many elections boards already are using the minimum security standards outlined by Brunner's office, including requiring employees to wear identification badges, limiting access to areas where ballots and voting machines are stored, and documenting the use or movement of such equipment.
"These are not difficult things to embrace, but they need to be embraced," Matthews said.
Brunner said having the security plans and measures in place and available in writing will help to alleviate legal issues later.
"I am still dealing with about 20 lawsuits" as a result of elections overseen by the former Secretary of State, she said.
"You don't want to deal with this for another four years, and neither do I."
Marc Kovac is the Dix Newspapers Capital Bureau chief. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com.
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