GOP Strongholds Saw Increase in Voting Machines

At first, Eric Davies didn’t mind waiting more than four hours to vote on Nov. 2. It was encouraging to see such strong voter turnout, he says.

But later, the Democrat was frustrated to learn that his Columbus precinct had one fewer voting machine than in 2000, while some precincts in the suburbs and elsewhere got more.

"I’m not someone who necessarily jumps on the conspiracy bandwagon, but it certainly shows some favoritism to one community over another," said Davies, 37.

In fact, a Dispatch analysis shows that predominantly Democratic precincts in Franklin County — almost all of them in Columbus — had fewer machines on Nov. 2 compared with 2000, while heavy GOP areas had more.

Election officials say voter-registration totals and past turnout — not favoritism or politics — determined where machines went. Any differences between Democratic and GOP areas were an "unintended coincidence," they say.

Ultimately, the differences aren’t as significant as the fact that Franklin County had roughly the same number of voting machines as 2000 but faced population shifts and a crush of 102,000 additional voters this year, officials said.

Still, even if the discrepancies weren’t intentional — and they almost certainly wouldn’t have changed the outcome — they are troubling and must be addressed before the next election, said Edward B. Foley, director of the election-law center at Ohio State University.

"There’s not an automatic correlation between fewer machines and longer lines," he said. "But if there is evidence that urban precincts tended to have fewer machines (than in other areas), that is a disparity that is worrisome."

The Dispatch analysis shows:

• Population shifts to areas outside the I-270 Outerbelt led to the creation of 29 new precincts since 2000 that received 129 machines. Since the county didn't have that many additional machines, some had to be reassigned from other precincts.
• Despite the reduced number of machines and larger number of active voters per machine in the Democratic precincts, the busiest precincts — as measured by ballots cast per machine — overwhelmingly were in the suburbs (as The Dispatch reported last month). There were 161 ballots cast per machine in the Democratic areas versus 165 in the GOP areas.
• The average number of ballots cast per machine in Franklin County, which uses electronic equipment, was 169. Cuyahoga and Summit counties — which use punch-card machines — had 68 and 86 per machine, respectively.
• Franklin County's average of 169 ballots cast per machine was one of the lowest among Ohio counties that use electronic equipment. The comparable number in Pickaway County was 186; in Knox County, 244; in Lake County, 291.

Damschroder said it wouldn't have been practical to buy additional machines this year because of the cost — $5,000 per unit — plus the fact that all county machines are expected to be replaced in 2005 or 2006 with federal money.

"Hard decisions had to be made in order to spread even thinner our already thin resources," he said.

County officials said they also considered using punch-card ballots to supplement electronic machines and establishing regional zones for provisional voting, but they were advised against it by Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell's office.

Blackwell's office said it only was asked whether the county could use punch cards if a voter was uncomfortable with electronic machines, and that it doesn't recall an inquiry about provisional zones.

Damschroder has called the process of allocating machines "a little bit of art versus math."

It starts in June for a fall election; machines are assigned using a formula based on the number of active voters in each precinct. People who haven't voted in recent elections or had mail that was sent them returned remain on the rolls but are considered "inactive."

Also, if a precinct had an increase in turnout of 250 voters or more in previous comparable elections or a significant new housing development, it might get an additional machine.

The placements are re-evaluated once updated registration totals are available, about a month before the election.

Damschroder said the county keeps about 100 machines in reserve in case of accidents during deliveries.

The county initially thought it had 68 unused machines but learned this week that the number was 39 - 22 left at the warehouse and 17 that were sent to inner-city precincts but not used.

Ultimately, county commissioners must decide whether to spend the money for enough machines to handle a massive turnout or settle for fewer machines adequate for most other elections, said Doug Lewis, executive director of the Election Center, a national nonprofit organization.

"Almost never do you have enough equipment to take care of 100 percent" of registered voters if they all turn out, he said.

mniquette@dispatch.com

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