Posted: 9/19/06
Voting changes go well at primary
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
If you voted in last weekís primary election in Houston County, you saw some big changes.
All but two of the countyís 27 precincts combined with at least one other precinct.
There were a total of 11 locations. They did that as a money saving measure in order to meet changes mandated by federal and state law.
Those laws require a precinct ballot counter and a handicapped voting machine to assist people in voting. The county bought 14 assisted voting machines and 14 precinct counters.
Polling places were combined so that fewer machines would need to be purchased.
People working at the polls have very few complaints about the changes.
Wilbert Schuldt, who is blind, had some trouble with the handicapped machine. ìIt does not magnify enough for my vision, so I had to have my wife help,î said Schuldt, who lives in Crooked Creek Township. ìThe machine basically is going to be a good deal.î
Schuldt, who lives in Crooked Creek Township, said the screen wasnít white on black, which would have helped him. Thatís what he uses on his reading machine. He said he will adjust the voting machine for the next election.
ìQuite a few of them [voters] used it,î Schuldt added. ìI was surprised at the number of people that used it.î
People were excited to use the handicapped machines, Sherry Jergenson, clerk of Sheldon Township, said. ìThey worked very good.î
Yucatan Township clerk Sandy Ask said the election went smoothly. Yucatan and three other precincts shared the Houston Fire Station. ìWeíre very thankful to the fire station to use the area,î Ask said. ìIt was large enough that we could all set up our own space.î
A couple people needed help with the handicapped voting machine, Ask said. ìWe were there to assist them.î
It will go easier next time, she feels.
Did anyone complain about the extra distance they had to travel compared to going to the Yucatan Town Hall?
ìMaybe one out of 450,î Ask replied with a laugh. ìReally, really not.î
The new location was actually more equidistant to township residents as a whole, Ask said. ìIt was more in the middle.î She noted that some people worked voting into their day, for example doing it on their way to work or on their way home.
Red Haines, clerk of Mound Prairie township, likewise heard no complaints, although a few people were wistful for the old town hall as opposed to the new location at the Houston Community Center. ìItís kind of like they closed your school,î he said.
Township officers talked about the changes at their annual meeting, Haines said, and sent a letter to voters the week before the election. ìWeíve worked hard with our voters.î
Township officers wanted to make sure that residents understood why the changes were necessary, Haines said. It starts with the federal government, and cutting the locations makes elections more affordable, he said. ìMost people understand that sharing is better.î
Haines liked the new precinct counters for a couple reasons. In the past there would be 20 percent bad ballots in primaries because of crossovers (voting in two different parties.) ìAnd there was no way to know.î Now the counter tells the voter if thereís something wrong, Haines said. ìWe still had a lot of crossovers but the voters had a chance to get a new ballot and do it again.î
The precinct counters also speeded up the vote tallying process. ìBy 8:30 we were out of there.î Haines said. ìAnd I was home by 10 oíclock.î That beats the good old days when Red wouldnít turn down his sheets until 1 or 2 a.m.
Haines thinks county auditor Pete Johnson deserves a lot of credit for implementing the new voting procedures. ìI bet I have a dozen memos from him explaining whatís going on,î Haines said. ìFrom my perspective, Pete did a great job in helping us, Pete and his staff.î
Caledonia city clerk Bob Nelson liked how the precinct counters worked. ìTop first, bottom first, front, back, it doesnít matter [how itís inserted],î he said while standing in the Caledonia Auditorium which contained four precincts.
It can even read ballots that have write-in candidates and send them to a different compartment in the bottom so that election officials can find them easily.
Like Haines, Nelson said the machines are more efficient and a time saver.
The handicapped machine can even accommodate quadriplegics who communicate by the sip and puff method, Nelson said.
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