The Lucas County commissioners want to simplify the voting process and increase voter confidence by upgrading the technology used when casting a ballot.
During a meeting on Tuesday, the commissioners unanimously approved a plan to spend $724,350 to purchase 150 machines for polling locations.
“I think everybody’s pleased with this process, and it certainly can help with more timely results, and that’s what we’re all striving for,” Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak said.
The Lucas County Board of Elections has rented DS200 tabulators from Election Systems and Software for the early voting center and various polling locations to count ballots for the past three elections.
LaVera Scott, director of the board of elections, said the machines have been helpful for poll workers in opening polling locations and tabulating ballots.
“[The tablets] have assisted [poll workers] at the end of the night to provide the accurate counts [of ballots] because the tabulator does it for them, and then we verify when it gets to our tabulation center at the end of the night,” Ms. Scott said.
Ms. Scott said the machines also help the board save money by cutting back on paying workers overtime.
Some of the DS200 tablets have already been used at the early voting location at 3737 W. Sylvania Ave., in Toledo for the Aug. 8 special election.
“We’re pretty excited to try these machines out at each polling location in the November election,” Ms. Scott said. “Of course, we’re trying to prepare for next year’s presidential election where we know the turnout will be much higher.”
Implementing the DS200 will reduce the current ballot marking machines, called ExpressVote, from 1,500 to 900.
ExpressVote machines have an attachable tabulator, but Ms. Scott said there have been minor issues with them at the end of the night.
Also at the meeting, the commissioners unanimously approved a contract with CT Consultants for $501,782 to begin constructing a parking lot for the new Lucas County Detention Center. The money came from the commissioner’s general fund for special projects.
The new detention center is estimated to be completed by October, 2026. The new jail will be near North 12 Street and Southard Avenue in downtown Toledo, only a block northwest of the current jail.
“This is really the first step to get into construction,” commissioners president Pete Gerken said. “It’s no longer architects and engineers. It’s construction. As of today, August 1, 2023, we get started on the new Lucas County Detention Center.”
First Published August 1, 2023, 9:18 p.m.