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Republicans on board worry about extra burden on the budget for 2008
By Stephanie Warsmith
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Saturday, Sep 06, 2008
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner broke tie votes Friday by the Summit County elections board in favor of extended hours for the county's absentee voting site.
Brunner's decision means the Job Center — where in-person absentee voting will be offered for the November election — will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
''A county with a large number of registered voters and a complex economy such as Summit County needs to accommodate the work schedules of as many voters as possible by offering extended weekday and weekend voting hours,'' Brunner said, siding with fellow Democrats on the elections board.
The Republicans on the Summit board had argued for more limited hours in light of board and county budget problems.
''What we've got here is another unfunded mandate,'' said Brian Daley, a Republican board member. ''It will not add much value and will cost the taxpayers.''
Brunner's decision wasn't unexpected, as she had already voted in favor of extended hours in Franklin County, which will also have a special site for people to vote absentee this fall.
Nov. 4 will be the first presidential election in which anyone in Ohio can vote absentee for any reason, and it can be done by mail or in person.
To avoid the long lines and traffic problems that the Summit board
had in the March primary, the board decided to have an alternate location where voters can cast absentee ballots. They chose the Job Center, a county building at 1040 E. Tallmadge Ave.
Summit County is anticipating that starting Sept. 30, as many as 100,000 people may vote absentee for the Nov. 4 election.
Marijean Donofrio and Bryan Williams, the board's director and deputy director, will go before County Council on Monday to ask for $615,000 more to get the board through the year. The county gave the board less than it requested for this year and the board anticipated needing to request more.
Board members are hoping that less than $615,000 will be needed because of surpluses in several areas of the board's budget.
The request, however, comes at a bad time, as county officials are expected to dip into reserves to close a projected $8.4 million spending gap in the county's operating budget.
Daley estimated that the extended hours will cost between $21,000 and $54,000, depending on staffing levels.
Wayne Jones, a Democratic board member, said county officials have signed off on the extended hours, which were included in the board's budget. He predicted that county and board officials would work out the board's budget issues.
''They recognize that democracy's not cheap,'' he said. ''This is money we are not throwing away. We're spending it wisely.''
Jones said having a larger, more accessible location for people to vote absentee should alleviate lines on Election Day.
''This should save Election Day problems,'' he said.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.
com.
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner broke tie votes Friday by the Summit County elections board in favor of extended hours for the county's absentee voting site.
Get the full article here.
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