Essex County election commissioners disagree

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

March 14, 2009

By LOHR McKINSTRY The Press Republican Fri May 14, 2010, 07:14 PM EDT

ELIZABETHTOWN — Essex County Democratic Election Commissioner David Mace says he's going on record that a crisis will result if they don't start preparing electronic voting machines for the September primary election.

Mace said the county should purchase Election Management System equipment and software from the firm Election Systems & Software at a cost of about $100,000.

"I'm really concerned we get ourselves into some idea that this (use of electronic machines) is not going to happen," Mace said. "I really think there is no question. There will be a huge problem if we don't start acting now."

County Republican Election Commissioner Lewis Sanders said he disagrees with Mace.

Sanders said most counties are not buying the Election Systems & Software upgrades Mace wants until the electronic machines are certified by the State Board of Elections.

Mace said if they don't buy now there won't be time to get the machines ready for the primary. He said the county has $110,000 left in its budget from Help America Vote Act grants.

The county previously bought 25 Sequoia machines at about $12,000 each, that are now used for handicapped voting. The Election Management software would work with those machines.

Mace said Sanders previously told the County Board of Supervisors the old mechanical machines would still be used for the primary and general election this year. The lever-action machines are being used for the March 31 special election for the 20th Congressional District seat.

"It seemed to be conveyed we were not going to use the new machines," Mace said. "If we delay any further in finishing what we need to do we're going to be in a world of trouble."

Sanders said accreditation for test firm SysTest has only now been reinstated by the State Election Commissioners Association. SysTest's role is to test and certify the electronic voting machines from various firms for use in New York state elections.

Mace said once the new machines are certified, election law bars any future use of the lever machines.

"I don't think they're going to get those machines certified in time this year," Sanders said. "Once they're certified we'll sit down and talk about it."

Mace said he believes the state "will take action against boards that don't do their job."

The State Board of Elections is under a consent order in federal court mandating HAVA compliance. Mace said the State Board of Elections has made it clear that counties that "try to thwart the process will be dealt with using all the legal power that can be mustered."

Sanders said the electronic machines have been unreliable, and frequently break down.

"Most of those electronic machines just haven't worked at all," Sanders said.

In order to buy the Election Management System equipment and software now, both election commissioners would have to agree.

Supervisor Dale French (R-Crown Point), who chairs the County Public Safety Committee, said the committee won't intervene.

"It is in your hands," French told the two commissioners. "We're not going to resolve this" at a committee meeting.

E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com