[Voterescue] another reason we want paper ballots

[Jenny Clark]

Excerpt:
"Walker said that runoff election costs could have been drastically 
reduced if the county had simply been allowed to use only paper 
ballots."

This is a perfect example of how much simpler a plain paper ballot 
is! And WHY? does it say paper ballots were not allowed? Who 
disallowed it and why?

http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2008/apr/03/waste-money/#comments
Wichita Falls Online

Waste of money?
Low voter turnout has clerks questioning runoff efficiency
By Lara K. Richards
Thursday, April 3, 2008

Friday Lead Photo

What if you held an election, and nobody voted?

That's a reality small counties in North Texas are facing as they 
gear up for the April 8 runoff election.

The statewide runoff between Democrats Mark Thompson and Dale Henry 
for railroad commissioner means that all counties are required to 
hold a runoff election, regardless of whether they have a local 
runoff race or not.

Only Foard, Montague, Wilbarger and Wichita counties have local 
runoffs on their ballots.

As of Wednesday afternoon, just two people had cast ballots in early 
voting on the railroad commissioner race in Hardeman County, 
according to County/District Clerk Linda Walker.

"By the end of this early voting session, I'd be greatly surprised if 
we have five," she said. "I'll be ecstatic if we have five."

And Walker doesn't expect many more votes Tuesday.

"On Election Day, I'll be very shocked if we have more than 10, and 
that's in a 12-hour time span," she said.

Mary Susie Walraven, county/district clerk in Throckmorton County, 
said only one person had early voted in her county as of Wednesday.
She doesn't predict a high turnout on Election Day.

"We expect a very low turnout. I'm sure single digits," she said.
Projected low voter participation has several county clerks 
questioning the efficiency of the runoff election, particularly the 
taxpayer dollars being spent.

Walker said she expected the runoff election to cost about $5,000 in 
her county.

"I think it's a big waste of money. In big cities, big counties, I 
can understand. But in smaller counties, you have to get your (voting 
machines) programmed, you have to get your ballots, you have to get 
everything set up," she said. "I think it's a great waste of money 
for the state of Texas."

Regardless of the turnout, Walker said she must go through the same 
steps as if it were a major election or had a local race.

"We had to order 100 ballots for each precinct and we have five 
precincts. There's the cost of the ballots, getting them run, both 
for early voting and Election Day," she said. "And then you have to 
have the election workers and the judges."

Walraven said her hands were tied as far as trying to cut corners and 
save money.

"You have to go through the same process to have the runoff election 
as you do for the primary or general election. There're no 
shortcuts," she said. "The only thing we have done is combine one 
box. Precinct 4 is just one box now, but that doesn't really save all 
that much to do that."

Ashley Burton, a spokeswoman for the secretary of state office in 
Austin, said the state covers the runoff expenses through what's 
called the "primary fund" in conjunction with the Democrat and 
Republican parties.

The primary fund is a combination of filing fees that the candidates 
pay to run for office and appropriations directed through the 
Legislature, she said.

Appropriations are, in essence, taxpayer funds.

Even in counties where there is a local runoff race, turnout still 
might not be high for the railroad commissioner race.

Glenda Henson, county clerk in Montague County, said Wednesday that 
120 people had early voted in the Republican race for sheriff.
Only one person had cast a ballot in the railroad commissioner race, she said.

"It's not drawing much attention at all," she said. "I really think 
it's a lot of expense. I know we had to do it, but it costs a lot of 
money."

Walker said that runoff election costs could have been drastically 
reduced if the county had simply been allowed to use only paper 
ballots.

"We could have just done paper ballots like we used to and we 
wouldn't have had to program the media cards for the machines," she 
said.

Walker and Walraven both said that taxpayer money could be better used.

"I can think of a lot of other things the state of Texas could use 
this money for," Walker said.
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