Voter Dissatisfaction Over (Reduction of) Polling Places Comes Before Supervisors - Voters Win

[Wilms]

“The main reason you lost your voting machine in Ayrshire wasn’t because of the people or anything, its because the state came in and said we had to cut our precincts by 50 percent, because we were getting money for new voting machines.”

"...we had to cut our precincts by 50 percent, because we were getting money for new voting machines.”

:wow:

Voter Dissatisfaction Over Polling Places Comes Before Supervisors

by Dan Voigt

Emmetsburg Democrat

November 25, 2008

~snip~

Allen Stangl, a Booth Township Trustee, served as the spokesman for the group. “Our primary reason for being here is we want to know why we don’t vote in Ayrshire anymore and my first question would be why did Ayrshire lose the voting machine?”

Supervisor Ron Graettinger responded to the question. “The main reason you lost your voting machine in Ayrshire wasn’t because of the people or anything, its because the state came in and said we had to cut our precincts by 50 percent, because we were getting money for new voting machines.”

~snip~

“We combined precincts,” Graettinger answered. “We had 18 precincts and now we have 10.”

~snip~

“I can understand where you might want the same amount of people,” Stangl said, “But I can’t understand you expecting people to drive 25 to 30 miles one way to vote for five minutes.”

“We don’t expect them to do that,” Graettinger said, “That’s why we have absentee ballots.”

“That’s not a good answer sir,” Stangl retorted.

~snip~

As the discussion continued, Stangl dismissed the issue of trying to save money. “Saving money? We’ve got people who didn’t go vote at the last election.”

~snip~

As the discussion wound down, a general agreement was reached to budget for an additional voting machine in the next year’s budget to address the issue.

~snip~

http://www.emmetsburgnews.com/page/content.detail/id/500836.html?nav=5001