NY: New Voting Machines Come at Hefty Price for Villages

[Wilms]

New Voting Machines Come at Hefty Price for Villages

State election law requires village to have ballots on hand for 110 percent of Garden City’s 16,000 registered voters. At approximately .55 cents per ballot, the March village election could cost $8,800.

By Carisa Giardino

February 4, 2011

At a time when local municipalities are tightening purse strings, dealing with unfunded state mandates and, in some cases, cutting back on services, the last thing officials want to do is shell out thousands to accommodate legislation surrounding New York’s new voting machines.

State election law requires villages to now use electronic scanners, which made their debut during general and primary elections last fall. As per the law, Garden City must have ballots on hand for 110 percent of its 16,000 registered voters. The ballots cost approximately .55 cents a piece, resulting in an $8,800 price tag for the village. (Wilms note: Perhaps a 35% turn out, at best, for these elections?)

"This is of concern to all villages," Fishberg said. "The villages are distraught over that."

And to make matters worse, Nassau County will not make the scanning machines available to the village, according to counsel Gary Fishberg, forcing officials to rent the machines from an independent source, which he says comes at a hefty cost, or resort to paper ballots.

snip

Pending legislation introduced by Sen. Jack Martins, R-Mineola, however, would allow villages, special districts, improvement districts, library districts and fire districts to use the mechanical lever voting machines for at least the next two years.

snip

http://gardencity.patch.com/articles/new-voting-machines-come-at-hefty-price-for-villages

[aquart]

1. An outrageous imposition in these hard times.

Especially since our lever machines worked perfectly well.

[emlev]

2. See link -- NY Senate to vote on this bill Monday 2/14

NY Legislature Considers Eliminating E-Voting Requirement for Some Local Elections

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. .55 cents times 16,000 times 110% is $96.80, not $8,800

If the story really means .55 dollars, ie 55 cents, and you ignore the 110% requirement, then it would be $8,800. But it would seem a little strange for a single printed ballot to cost 55 cents.

The story has been so badly written, you don't know what's going on.

[Bill Bored]

4. No, it's $9,680. Each ballot costs 55¢ to print. nt

[Wilms]

5. Yep. Bad math in the article. Bill's got it right.

And as for the 55 cents, I think that's about average for a ballot.

This whole optical scam thing is rough on states that had levers and no where near the amount of trouble and expense.