Supervisors Contemplate Reducing Voting Precincts

Supervisors Contemplate Reducing Voting Precincts

By David Howell

Editor

COFFEEVILLE – Only weeks remain before four supervisors will step down at the end of the year, but it appears the group could tackle at least one more contentious issue after discussion surfaced at a recessed meeting Monday to reduce the number of voting precincts in the county.

Circuit Clerk Daryl Burney and all five of the county’s election commissioners attended the meeting at the Coffeeville courthouse to request an almost $75,000 expenditure to update the county’s election equipment with 13 new voting machines, one for each of the county’s 11 precincts and two extras for spares. The machines would replace the 20 year-old M-100 ballot scanners purchased second-hand by the county almost a decade ago.  The cost for the new precinct scanners are $5,700 each for a total tally of $74,100 and would be funded using money the county receives from the Secretary of State that is earmarked for elections. The company selling the machines, ES&S ,also offered $7,500 trade-in value on the old equipment.

Burney said voters would continue to use a paper ballot and the machines would only  be an updated version of what is currently in use  across the county.

During Monday’s meeting the discussion shifted to eliminating a pair of precincts in District 5 – consolidating the Skuna Valley/Vann’s Mill precinct with the Coffeeville precinct and consolidating the Scobey precinct with the Tillatoba precinct. 

“I would really like to have the discussion of closing some precincts,” District Three Supervisor Lee McMinn said, pointing to the savings of purchasing two fewer machines and paying fewer poll workers during elections. 

“We have discussed this at great length and feel we could save some money,”  District 1 Election Commissioner Steve Cummings added, referring to the position of election commissioners on consolidating precincts. Cummings also acknowledged the decision may not be a popular one, but ultimately a decision that would benefit the county and not be a big inconvenience for the voters. Cummings explained that each precinct must have a minimum of three poll workers at every election at a cost of $95 each.

“We feel like it will be considerable savings with not much inconvenience for the voters,” Cummings added.

Can you tell me the lowest amount of votes cast in the last election at the lowest three (precincts)?” McMinn asked.

“Skuna Valley and Scobey,” District 5 Election Commissioner June Byford answered, adding the vote tally was likely less than 100 votes in the last election. “And both of them are bad places to go vote,” she added, referring to the condition of the buildings used during elections.

“What are you recommending Mrs. Byford, you are our election commissioner?” District 5 Supervisor Frank “Bubba” Tillman asked.

“Put Scobey over at Tillatoba and Skuna Valley in Coffeeville, but I am not going to do it myself,” Byford answered.

“But you are recommending it?” Tillman added.

“Yes,” Byford answered.

“That’s one option,” Cummings said about the proposed consolidation. 

“The new board of supervisors can handle all of that,” Tillman added.

“Yes, it will ultimately be up to y’all,” Cummings agreed about the decision.

“That’s a pretty good little chunk of money right there, I think” McMinn added about the savings.

“Are you going to close Sylva Rena, too, you say?” Tillman asked about the District 3 precinct at Sylva Rena.

“Well there are about 700 folks that vote out there, that’s a lot of folks,” McMinn answered.

“That is the only privilege these folks have left, is to go vote in these little communities,” Tillman explained as he voiced his opinion opposing the consolidation.

“Scobey, where they vote, is going to fall in one of these days, unless y’all fix it up,” Byford countered.

“That doesn’t belong to the county,” Tillman explained about the building used for voting. “But I am going to leave that up to the new board of supervisors when they decide they want to close these precincts,” he added.

“Well I am too, that was just a suggestion,” Byford answered.

“I can see right now the writing on the wall for something else,” Tillman continued. “When the press comes out about different things, it is really going to fire things up,” Tillman said.

“Well these hard decision have to be made, and right now will be the time to make it before we invest in these machines.” McMinn added, before Board President Tommy Vaughn voiced his opinion.

“It’s a no-brainer,” Vaughn said, adding he had made a similar recommendation a decade earlier when the county purchased the current voting machines in use.

“I don’t think the people would be upset to much, there may be some because people don’t like change. Sometimes change is for the better,” Vaughn continued. 

 “When you get over to having these little precincts with a 100 people in them, and you have to staff them and buy the machines – it just doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Vaughn said. 

“I have four precincts,” Byford added.

“After a year or two, people forget about this stuff,” Vaughn added.

“I certainly don’t believe those folks across over at Vann’s Mill that come over to Skuna (to vote), they have not forgot it,” Tillman said, referring to an earlier consolidation.

Burney then reminded supervisors that earlier modifications had reduced the amount of precincts from 14 to 11, and added he would follow the orders of the board on the issue. Speaking after the meeting, Burney told the Herald he was against the proposed consolidation, explaining the elections have been running smooth there was no need for the change.

“We maybe between now and the first of the month, we can have some numbers,” McMinn said as discussion about the matter came to a close.