County decides to offer paper ballots along with electronic
"I need more help, that's the botttom line." - Judy Owens election administrator
By BARRY HALVORSON news@leader-news.com

After the Republican Party in Wharton County insisted on paper ballots for this year's primaries, the county commissioners approved Monday an order approving optical scan ballots for the county's voting system.

In making the recommendation, Elections Administrator Judy Owens said the county needed to make it official for submission to the Department of Justice to allow for both electronic and paper ballots. She added that allowing for paper ballots is going to cost the county additional money during elections.

"Paper ballots cost 27 cents each," she said. "In the primary, the party had to absorb the cost, but in the general election it is the responsibility of the county."

Owens sai 59 percent of those voting in the March Republic Primary used the electronic ballot system. She said that based on those figures, she estimated ordering paper ballots for half of the county's 24,000 voters.

"I'll reserve some for the early voting and make the rest available on Election Day," she said. "And we'll need to publish that when we run out, we run out. With the electronic machines, you never run out of ballot."

In addition to the added cost of the paper ballots, Owens said it will also increase the manpower cost of holding an election. With the paper ballots, she needs additional election workers at the polls.

In discussing those extra election workers, Owens submitted a request for an additional full-time position for

her office.

"I need more help, that's the bottom line," she said. "Before, you had three people in the tax-assessor collector office working on voter registration and during elections you had five people helping. When you consolidated things and created the elections administrator there was the same amount of work, but only one person was expected to do it."

She said that of the seven counties in the state with a similar population, Wharton County is the only one with a single person. Using Fayette County as an example, she said that office has an administrator, one full-time employee and two part-time.

She said she currently has a temporary employee, but needs additional help on a year round basis. Under county guidelines, a temporary employee can only work nine months in a single year for a specific job.

Owens said her office receives $10,000 in federal Chapter 19 funds in even numbered years for voter registration which combined with existing part-time salary could fund the position. She said that while she only receives around $2,000 in the odd years, she has fewer elections and could cover the additional cost out of funds normally budgeted for election workers.

Owens added she surrendered $22,654 in salary and benefits to the county from her 2007 budget.

While turning down the request, the commissioners did authorize upgrading her temporary employee to part-time for the duration of the year funding it out of the Chapter 19 money. The commissioners also approved reimbursing the office for $6,400 spent above budget for the March primary and would address additional salary needs for the added workers for the November election when the time comes.