Giles County registrar says new voting machines needed
Acting Giles County Registrar Amy Wheeler is requesting a voting machine replacement because of slower processing speeds.
She sent the county administration a letter in May, detailing that the county’s 13 machines are nearing the end of their lifespan since they were first purchased in 2016.
“We have observed problematic delays and inefficiencies with the current machines, especially our Early Voting machine, which processed 3,100 ballots in the most recent election,” said Wheeler in the letter. “On election night, when our CAP (Community Action Program) team closed the polls to generate the results of that machine and print the reports, the machine started processing and ended up freezing. Typical closure has taken up to 20 minutes in the past, but due to freezing and calls to technical support for assistance, total poll closure took 1 hour and 15 minutes. I had to do a hard reset and then manually print the results/reports. This obviously delayed the entire process on election night.”
The estimated cost for the new DS300 machines from vendor Election System & Software (ES&S) is $95,615, according to the request. The county currently uses the DS200 ES&S machines.
“We’ve asked the registrar to get back to us regarding necessity and some alternatives we at least want them to explore,” County Administrator Chris McKlarney said Friday.
That includes whether the county could purchase fewer than the 13 requested, if software and hardware improvements can be made to the current machines, and if state funding resources are available, he said.
The registrar’s office has requested that funds be made available after July 1, in preparation for the Aug. 4 primary and the November general election.
“We do have a budget hearing that’s coming up in just a few days,” said McKlarney. “We can’t really increase what we’ve advertised at this point. But, they can adjust other things inside the budget and try to make it work.”
Firehouse primary to nominate a Republican for Montgomery County sheriff is Saturday
Speaking of voting, a special election to nominate the Republican candidate for Montgomery County sheriff is Saturday.
The Republican candidates are interim Sheriff Robert Page and former county sheriff’s office Lt. Tim Shepherd.
Registered voters can participate in the party-organized firehouse primary at the Montgomery County Government Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Any registered voter is eligible, but they may vote in only one party’s primary. Voters will be asked Saturday to sign a pledge supporting the eventual Republican nominee in the general election. A photo identification is also required.
Based on a new state law, a May 30 Lynchburg Republican firehouse primary for city council candidates was under review by the state attorney general, but the results were voided by the GOP State Central Committee Saturday. The law requires political parties using their own nomination contests to accommodate certain voters, including students, active-duty service members, people temporarily living outside the country, individuals with disabilities and those with contagious diseases that pose a public health threat. The review is tied to concerns that didn’t happen.
The Montgomery County firehouse primary should not face such scrutiny because it’s a special election given an exception under the new law, according to Republican Committee Chairman Nic Lauer.
The government center is located at 755 Roanoke St. in Christiansburg.
There are also three Democrats in the sheriff’s race: retired county sheriff’s office Capt. Ed Hertling, Christiansburg police Lt. Tim Brown and former county sheriff’s office Lt. Greg Warden. The Democratic nomination will be decided in an Aug. 4 county-wide primary.
The candidates are running to fill the remaining term of former Sheriff Hank Partin, a Republican who retired in March. The term runs through 2027.
Find more by reading the Cardinal News voter guide.
A mailbag item: Virginia Tech Board of Visitors disclosure breakdown
Finally, this column item is dedicated to a question from a reader.
Steve from Blacksburg asked whether members of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors must disclose their business interests and if they must recuse themselves from decisions that may result in self-dealing.
According to the Board of Visitors Code of Ethics, board members are subject to Virginia law and must abide by the State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act.
The law prohibits state and local officials from accepting compensation for services performed and using their office to advance their self-interests.
Board members are required to file financial disclosure statements annually and submit them to the Ethics Council, according to university spokesman Mark Owczarski. These disclosures are made public and can be found here: ethicssearch.dls.virginia.gov.
Regarding a recusal, the code of ethics says that “individual BOV members have a duty to report their own potential or actual violations of the Code of Ethics,” but no language specifically suggests members are required to recuse themselves.
“There are many potential circumstances a board member may recuse themselves in board activity,” said Owczarski, which are documented in full board and full committee minutes.
It is not uncommon for a board member to oversee matters that relate to separate business ventures in which they are involved.
Board member Jeanne Stosser, for example, is the chair of the building and grounds committee. She is also president of Campus Management Group, whose business portfolio includes 13 different housing properties — including numerous large-scale student housing developments — in the New River Valley.
Most recently, her committee reviewed the capital project to increase campus housing by 1,200 beds, which was approved by the board on June 2.
Stosser has disclosed her interests in her financial disclosure statement. She did not recuse herself before the capital project approval.
