Anyone who votes in Lucas County knows that there’s a limit to how far the computer revolution has invaded the election process.

At each of the approximately 350 precinct locations, poll workers flip through paper binders to locate a voter’s name, and then the voter signs his or her name in that book. After the election, those binders then go back to the Lucas County Board of Elections office to be audited, page by page, to verify who voted and who didn’t.

While that time-honored process is not going to change in time for the Nov. 4 election, the Lucas County Board of Elections would like to replace the old paper and pen method with computerized tablets at least in time for the 2016 presidential election.

A request for $760,920 is on the election board’s budget that has been submitted to the Lucas County commissioners for consideration in 2015. It’s part of a proposed budget that, if fully funded, would be an increase over the 2014 budget of about 33 percent. The current year’s budget is $2,859,718 and the projected 2015 budget is $3,798,889.

The salary portion of the budget — $1,053,064, reflects a 3 percent pay increase that was negotiated by the county commissioners.

In Ohio, 14 counties have electronic poll books and by the end of the year more than 20 counties will have them, according to Lucas County Elections Director Gina Kaczala.

Terry Burton, director of the Wood County Board of Elections, said his agency is trying 10 of the electronic poll books in three voting locations in Bowling Green — the Church of the Nazarene, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, and Bowling Green State University.

“It’s the first time that we’ll try it live. We actually deployed it a year ago as a secondary measure where we used our regular poll books. This year will use them as they’re designed to work,” Mr. Burton said. “What we’re after is more accuracy.”

Mr. Burton said the 10 machines cost a total of $25,126, including set-up. The machines do not include the signature module so voters will still sign in on paper.

The accuracy is improved because a poll worker won’t be able to accidentally give the wrong precinct card to a voter, or program in a wrong school district. Mr. Burton said some rural precincts have as many as four school districts. The machine has the voter’s name in a database and will permit that person to vote only for the candidates and issues in his or her precinct.

During a Lucas County Board of Elections meeting last Tuesday, deputy director LaVera Scott said the process of auditing the binder poll books to make sure they match the numbers recorded in the electronic voting machines takes two weeks and involves 10 to 16 employees. She said Montgomery County got the auditing done in two hours because it was a simple matter of loading the data card.

“The electronic poll books would be very, very helpful,” Ms. Scott said.

Ms. Kaczala said the board’s request of $760,920 would pay for about 300 machines. She said each machine has a little printer that produces the “authority to vote” slip that allows the voter to use the voter machine card.

“Even if we did buy them this year, the set-up will take a few months. It’s not something you buy and just plug in,” Ms. Kaczala said. She said the tablets reduce the need for staffing and increase productivity.

Contact Tom Troy: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058 or on Twitter @TomFTroy.

First Published October 13, 2014, 4:00 a.m.