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And part of the county election board's 2002 budget presented to the Kosciusko County Council Tuesday by county clerk Sharon Christner included an increase of $750,000 for a new vote-counting machine. However, the county council denied the $750,000 as part of the election board budget.
Christner told the council that punch cards have been decertified in Indiana and the election board is in the process of finding a new vote-counting system. After the county purchases a new system, the state will reimburse the county 50 percent, but the county has only until 2003 to buy a new system.
She said the election board would like to get the new system so they can try it out during the 2002 election.
Larry Teghtmeyer, councilman, said the selection and purchase of the new system should be in the county commissioners' budget and is something the commissioners should be involved in.
Christner said the election board and county commissioner Avis Gunter have been viewing the different systems.
One system they are considering, which will cost approximately $350,000 for all the county's approximate 60 precincts, is an optical scan system. The system would let a voter know if they've cast an overvote and give the voter the option of revoting.
The council, however, voted not to include $750,000 in the election board's budget and said the money for a new system could be taken out of the cumulative capital development fund or elsewhere.
The election board's 2002 budget was approved at approximately $126,505. The total includes projected salaries which will not be discussed until Thursday's county council meeting at 7 p.m. in the county courthouse.
The council approved the registration of voters budget at approximately $23,000 and the county clerk's 2002 budget at approximately $583,172.
