County awaits word on HAVA directive

NORWICH – Chenango County Board of Elections Commissioners expect to learn on Friday how much remains in its set-aside Help America Vote Act account.

The money will most likely be needed for the purchase of 29 handicapped accessible voting machines by September.

Although a decision is still in the hands of a federal court judge, Democratic Commissioner Carol A. Franklin said each polling site in the county would “most likely” be mandated to offer the new machines. The county was already required to purchase a one-time-use, handicapped-accessible machine in 2006 at a cost of $7,000.

At the time of purchase, Chenango County Safety & Rules Committee Chairman Alton Doyle, R-Guilford, commented, “That’s like throwing the $7,000 into a hole. We’ve never had handicapped voters in the county express a concern about their voting rights.”

As a result of the 2005 Help American Vote Act, control of general election voting procedures shifted legally from the municipal level to the county level in 2006. However, because the New York State Board of Elections failed to certify a new machine, local officials have been left in limbo. The federal government sued in late 2006 and the state was ordered to submit a plan for complying with HAVA by Jan. 4, 2008.