The Auglaize County Board of Elections met for a special meeting on Wednesday morning, and took a significant step toward more inclusive elections.
During Wednesday's meeting, Board members voted to proceed with an offer from Triad Governmental Services to implement a Ballot Marking System that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The new system would allow disabled voters to access ballots from their home computer, mark each ballot as they wish, print, and mail to the Auglaize County Board of Elections.
Triad's offer came recommended by Director Michelle Smith and Deputy Director Peggy Matheny, as the office has an existing relationship with the Xenia based company.
Currently, Triad manages the software program that 68 of 88 Ohio counties–including Auglaize County–use to maintain voter registration rolls, making the rollout an easy one.
It's also cost-effective.
The Board received a grant of $16,000 to implement the program, and because of the history between the Board and Triad, there would only be a one-time fee of $5,541, as well as a $1,300 fee per election.
Triad also offered to freeze the $1,300 rate for the next few years by allowing the Board to pay for future elections until...
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