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Car dealership one of several possible locations being considered
By Stephanie Warsmith
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Thursday, Apr 17, 2008
Cast your ballot and test-drive a car.
That could be an option for Summit County voters in the November presidential election.
Among the sites being considered for absentee voting is the Marhofer auto dealership in Cuyahoga Falls.
The dealership said it would allow the elections board to use a showroom for free — and would even throw in complimentary refreshments and couches. The board could hang ''Vote here'' banners that would be visible from state Route 8.
Board members discussed that and several other possible locations Wednesday as part of an ongoing attempt to address the issue of a deluge of early voters.
A change in state law permits anyone — for any reason — to vote absentee, rather than going to the polls on Election Day. More and more people are taking advantage of that option, with many showing up at county elections boards to cast their early votes in the days prior to elections.
In Summit County, nearly 18,000 people voted absentee in the March 4 primary — with about 2,800 casting their ballots at the elections board days before the election. It led to long lines and parking problems at the board's Grant Street loca
tion. About 70,000 county residents are expected to vote absentee in the Nov. 4 general election.
Others explore options
The issue isn't unique to Summit County. Other large urban counties also had problems in the primary and are wary about how to handle a large turnout this fall. Montgomery, Franklin and Stark counties all are examining options.
The Summit elections board would ideally like to find two locations — one each on the east and west sides of the county.
On the east side, the board is looking at several spots near Chapel Hill Mall, including the Marhofer spot, 1260 Main St., two vacant stores on Brittain Road and the Job Center, a county-owned facility on Tallmadge Avenue.
On the west side, sites being discussed include open spots in Summit Mall and Fairlawn Plaza.
Cost an issue
Price could be a big deterrent, though, with the store options ranging from $6,000 to $65,333.
Don Varian, chairman of the elections board, said the board needs to balance cost with the convenience.
''We are concerned about price but we need an alternate location,'' he said.
Varian thinks the challenge of addressing absentee voters is going to get ''worse each year.''
Bill could provide help
The state legislature is considering a bill that would permit elections boards to do what Summit is considering. James Hardy, a regional liaison for Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who is proposing the legislation, advised the board to continue with its plans in anticipation of the legislature acting.
Varian, who is an attorney, said his reading of current state law is that elections boards can now designate one site — besides their own offices — for absentee voting. If the legislature doesn't act, he said Summit might choose one location for the November election.
The board will further discuss its options at future board meetings.
In other business, the elections board:
• Certified the results of five recounts in county Republican central committee races. All the results remained the same as the official vote counts.
• Referred to the county prosecutor and county sheriff an investigation into how a county Democratic central committee candidate's petition was altered after it was turned into the board. Mary Ann Day, the candidate who was not permitted to appear on the November ballot, mailed in a petition without her signature. The petition evidently was returned to Day to permit her to sign it.
Marijean Donofrio, the board's Democratic director, told the board she was unable to determine which board employee or employees were responsible for the change.
The board asked Donofrio and Bryan Williams, the deputy director, to develop a policy for how board employees should handle petitions sent in by mail to avoid a repeat of what happened.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached
at 330-996-3705 or
swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com.
Cast your ballot and test-drive a car.
Get the full article here.
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