By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – A grass-roots organization known as Primary Challenge has extended a helping hand to the County Board of Elections in the midst of the budget crisis.
The organization has offered to help deliver voting booths for the September 13 Primary in order to prevent the use of paper ballots.
Some out-lying towns and villages are expected to use paper ballots due to a funding crunch at the Board.
But Democratic Elections Commissioner Dennis Ward said voting booths have already been delivered. Ward also promises that voters should not encounter problems with paper ballots.
"It will be a very simple process. Most of the towns, which will have paper ballots, have very few races on the ballot," said Ward. "People will simply sign in the book as they always do, but instead of stepping to a voting machine they will be handed a ballot, which is appropriate for the political party they belong to."
He added that voters will simply mark the ballot. It will be deposited in a secure box and will be counted later by the Board of Elections."
Ward said the Board does not have enough funds to pay for people to setup and program the voting machines. He said Erie County has failed to address the problem.