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Democrats want later closing time at absentee location; GOP members balk at cost. Brunner to break tie
By Stephanie Warsmith
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Saturday, Aug 23, 2008
The Summit County elections board again squabbled Friday about the hours for the Job Center, where people will be able to vote absentee in the presidential election.
The Democrats on the board argued for additional hours to give people who work more of an opportunity to vote, while the Republicans wanted fewer hours in light of budget concerns.
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner will make the call, as she is required to break tie votes by election boards. In a recent, similar case involving the Franklin County elections board, she sided with fellow Democrats in favor of more hours.
Tim Gorbach and Wayne Jones, the Democratic board members, wanted the Job Center, a county-owned building on Tallmadge Avenue that is being outfitted for voting, to be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.
''I understand the concerns, but I don't think the place to save is in the hours at the Job Center,'' Gorbach said.
Brian Daley and Jack Morrison Jr., the Republican board members, argued that 8 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday — along with the Saturday hours — would be sufficient. Daley said the board needs to be conservative because of the county's budget problems. County officials are expected to dip into reserves to close a projected $8.4 million spending gap in the county's operating budget.
''Anything we can do — within reason — to help, I would like to address,'' Daley said.
The shorter schedule would save between $15,000 and $45,000, said Bryan Williams, the board's deputy director.
The board first wrestled with the issue on Tuesday.
Absentee voting, now permitted in Ohio without a special reason, will begin Sept. 30.
In other business, board members authorized the county to move surplus money from different areas of the board's budget to put toward an additional $615,000 the board is requesting to get through the year.
Marijean Donofrio, the board's director, and Williams are still determining how much surplus can be shifted. A resolution with the additional budget request will be presented to County Council on Monday. Donofrio and Williams will appear before council Sept. 8.
James Hardy, the regional liaison for Brunner's office, told board members they should make their ''good faith, best possible effort'' to comply with tougher handicapped accessibility requirements for polling locations in the November election. About one-third of Summit County's 200 polling places don't meet all of the requirements.
Hardy said the board should document its efforts to comply and — if a polling location is completely inaccessible — try to find a different site. He said some counties have done nothing to make their polling places accessible and should be worried if they get spot-checked by the federal government in the Nov. 4 election.
''If you get spot-checked, you can say you've done everything you can,'' Hardy told the board.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.
com.
The Summit County elections board again squabbled Friday about the hours for the Job Center, where people will be able to vote absentee in the presidential election.
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