|
The McCreary County Clerk's Office has
received 18 new voting machines that will be used in May 2011.
Machines of this type were used by McCreary County for absentee
voting in the November 2010 General Election and proved their merit
to all involved. The machines were purchased from Harp
Enterprises with $81,000 in Federal funds allocated to the county.
Clerk, Eric Haynes, expects the
machines to save money in preparing machines for voting, decrease
lines and wait times at the polls, allow for easier tabulation of
votes, greater transparency of the process and other technological
enhancements.
The voters receive a paper ballot that
can be scanned and counted as soon as the voter completes their
selections. These paper ballots also serve as a record of each
election and can be used to settle disputed vote counts. The
accuracy of the machines is astounding according to Joe Harp, of
Harp Enterprises. "The best thing is that machines come
to your county at minimal cost to your county and with what Eric and
the Board of Elections is doing, your county is well prepared to
adapt to changes in elections laws or the process no matter which
way the wind blows."
Haynes has a demo machine set up in
his office to familiarize voters with the new machines and the new process.
The demo machine can be used during regular office hours 8:30 a.m.
to 4:30 weekdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
|
Clerk Eric Haynes recently attended
the Kentucky County Clerk's Association Fall Conference in
Lexington, Kentucky. While at the conference, Haynes, who has
served as county clerk since 2009, attended numerous training
sessions that were geared toward helping county clerks become more
knowledgeable about their offices.
Some of the sessions focused on
election procedures, while others focused on new procedures for
recording, titling and registration of motor vehicles.
Kentucky Senate President David
Williams, State Senator Damon Thayer, Secretary of State Trey
Grayson and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Mike Hancock
were the featured speakers.
Williams, Thayer, Grayson and Hancock
discussed ways to work with local county clerks in finding ways for
both to better serve the public.
|
