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Officials to place equipment by primary |
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Friday, 06 April 2007 |
New election software to affect poll workers more then public
By KAREN CAMPBELL
Staff Writer
Representatives of a software and maintenance firm hired this week by the county plan to begin the transition Monday so all new election equipment is in place and operational before the May 8 primary election.
For several months, Auglaize County Elections Board members researched different election system providers to improve the service they receive.
“The general public will not notice any changes at the polls, but the poll workers will see some changes in their paperwork,” Elections Board Director Carolyn Campbell said.
The Auglaize County commissioners this week approved the board’s recommendation to hire Triad Governmental Systems Inc., of Xenia, at a initial start-up cost of approximately $41,400 and approximately $9,300 annually for software subscription and support fees. The Ohio company will replace ES&S (Election Systems and Software), an Omaha, Neb.-based company used by the Elections Board Office for several years.
Triad submitted the lone bid last week for the software and maintenance agreement. The company submitted a bid approximately $600 less than estimated costs.
“When you only get one bid, you’re pretty limited to the options you have,” Commissioner Ivo Kramer said.
Campbell said in the election software and maintenance business, there is not a lot of competition.
After the initial cost, the yearly service agreement should be slightly less expensive than what the county Elections Board currently pays.
“The original reason we wanted to change to Triad was the service,” Campbell said. “We will get quick response to questions and problems we may have. The support staff is very familiar with Ohio Election laws and stays current with any changes implemented by the Secretary of State’s Office.
“There’s not a big price difference,” she added. ‘The big difference is the service, which is what we need. Triad is a lot more user friendly, a lot more knowledgeable about Ohio since they are located here. The big thing is that changes happen so fast. This way we can keep up with them.”
Campbell said the software system also stores a lot of extra information for the board, such as candidate information, elected official information and petitions.
She said a change poll workers should welcome is a notice that pops up for those voters who must cast a provisional ballot.
The system also should also streamline some of the work done in the office. Tracking absentee ballots and entering new registrations will be a lot quicker and easier.
“Since we are already anticipating a large increase in voter registration and absentee ballots for the presidential race in 2008,” Campbell said, “being able to record this information quickly will be a tremendous help.”
Monday is the last day for Auglaize County residents to register to vote in the May 8 primary.
The only locations in the county scheduled for primaries are the city of Wapakoneta, with a Republican race for mayor and a liquor option in precinct 3B; St. Marys Township, with a zoning issue; and New Knoxville and Washington Township, with a tax levy. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 06 April 2007 )
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