Goodrich – Monday’s village council election will be the first in which Goodrich uses an optical scanning system.
‘Genesee County has a unified voting system,? says Rob Coffman, Genesee County director of elections. When the county began using an optical scanning system last year, townships and cities were required to conform, although more flexibility is granted in smaller village elections, Coffman said.
Goodrich will be using Atlas Township’s optical scanning system. Purchased from Election System & Software of Omaha, Neb., the system was first used in Atlas Township’s millage renewal election last August, one of the first elections in the county to utilize an optical scanner.
Students will find the system familiar: voters blacken circles on paper ballots, similar to the Scantron sheets used for college exams.
At an estimated cost of $5,500, the optical scanning system may not be a practical purchase for village budgets. The Village of Otisville, located in northern Genesee County, is not using the system this election, said Coffman.
Atlas Township is loaning the equipment without charging a lease fee, although maintenance costs will be picked up by the village.
‘It’s probably about $225, but if it proves to be a lot less, we’ll adjust the cost,? said Tere Onica, Atlas Township clerk.
With the former punch-card system, any errors in voting weren’t caught until it was too late to correct them, said Coffman. An optical scanning system prevents errors, as it automatically notifies voters if they’ve voted for more than one candidate.
With the elimination of the infamous ‘hanging chads?, the new system is considered quick and efficient. Results are immediately ‘modemed down to the county,? said Onica, ‘although there will still be a paper trail to follow? if necessary.
Polling will take place at Goodrich United Methodist Church, located at 8071 S. State Road in Goodrich. The location was decided by the village council last year for consistency in village and township elections, as well as ease in maintaining the Qualified Voter File, said Gloria (Jeanie) Bradley, Goodrich village clerk. Goodrich residents now vote at the church for both township and village elections.
‘After the census in 2000, we separated all the village residents into their own precinct to give continuity in voting, really streamline things,? said Onica. ‘If people vote only every couple years they’re not sure where they’re supposed to be sometimes.
When election law changes take effect in 2005, school elections for Goodrich residents will also be held at the church, said Onica.