3 school board races face recount
NOVEMBER 25, 2009
Three school board races face recount
Election officials also agree to reduce the number of precincts.
By Lynn Hulsey, Dayton Daily NewsThe following article appeared in the November 24 edition of the Dayton Daily News (DDN). Read the article below, or view the contents on the DDN Web site.
DAYTON — Three local board of education races will get automatic recounts, Montgomery County Board of Elections officials said Tuesday, Nov. 24.
The races to be recounted are from board races in the Valley View, Huber Heights and Miamisburg school districts.
Races that finish with margins of one-half of one percentage point qualify for automatic recounts. The counts will be conducted Dec. 2-3.
Also Tuesday, the board of elections approved consolidating the number of voting precincts. The decision reduces the number to 360 from 548. The move will save money on poll workers and materials, cutting county costs by as much as $100,000 for major elections.
Only six of the mergers did not include entire precincts and voters in many cases will not change their polling location, said Steve Harsman, director of the board of elections.
The following article appeared in the November 24 edition of the Dayton Daily News (DDN). Read the article below, or view the contents on the DDN Web site.
3 school board races face recount
Election officials also agree to reduce the number of precincts.
By Lynn Hulsey, Dayton Daily News
DAYTON — Three local board of education races will get automatic recounts, Montgomery County Board of Elections officials said Tuesday, Nov. 24.
The races to be recounted are from board races in the Valley View, Huber Heights and Miamisburg school districts.
Races that finish with margins of one-half of one percentage point qualify for automatic recounts. The counts will be conducted Dec. 2-3.
Also Tuesday, the board of elections approved consolidating the number of voting precincts. The decision reduces the number to 360 from 548. The move will save money on poll workers and materials, cutting county costs by as much as $100,000 for major elections.
Only six of the mergers did not include entire precincts and voters in many cases will not change their polling location, said Steve Harsman, director of the board of elections.
He said some minor tinkering will still occur to make sure there are less than 1,400 active voters in each precinct. The average number per precinct will rise to 1,000 from the current 750.
Harsman does not believe the consolidation will result in longer lines at the polls because so many people are voting early and absentee. During major elections voters will have a second line offering paper ballots, which also will reduce wait time, he said.
Polling locations will be determined later, and voters will be notified of changes.
Voting rights advocate Ellis Jacobs, senior attorney for Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, suggested that the board reach out for public opinion on polling places. The board said they would like public input.
Jacobs analyzed the precinct consolidation and said, "It appears that the impact is evenly distributed throughout the county."
Also on Tuesday the board certified General Election results, adding in provisional and absentee votes. Those votes did not change the outcome of any races, pending recount of the three school board races.
In each of those races three people were to be elected and the recounts are on the third place finishers.
- In the Valley View race, Danny Dalton had 1,600 votes for third place, ahead of Lynn A. Miller with 1,586 votes.
- In Huber Heights, Kelly G. Bledsoe finished with 4,642 votes for third place, ahead of Karen S. Weaver with 4,634 votes.
- In Miamisburg, Joseph P. Idzakovich had 2,813 votes in third place, and Christopher Amsler was fourth with 2,803 votes.