The following is from an article by Jim Siegel of the Columbus Dispatch, a daily newspaper based in Ohio that dates back to 1871. Continue reading here: www.dispatch.com

Secretary of State Jon Husted asked Gov. John Kasich and legislative leaders today to provide $118 million in the new capital budget to replace aging voting equipment in all 88 counties. “Given the state law requirements for voting systems in Ohio, I believe that the state should pay 100 percent of the capital acquisition and setup costs of the lowest cost, safe and accurate system from the least expensive vendor,” Husted wrote in a letter to the leaders.

The following is an excerpt. Continue reading here: m.startribune.com

Ohio counties all use either touchscreen or optical machines, which feature optical scanners that read paper ballots and tally results, but voting officials say technological advances are needed to bring their inner workings up to date. They say using the current machines is like having an old flip phone in an age of smartphones…

Aaron Ockerman, a lobbyist for the Ohio Association of Election Officials, said the organization supports Husted’s effort. Ockerman said new optical scan machines, unlike older ones, save a digital image of each ballot that can be useful when confirming vote tallies. He said the modernization would also allow counties to replace mechanical equipment that’s gotten old and worn out.