Elections manager approved

In the old days, the task of tabulating votes after an election might have consisted of making separate piles for voters' selections, and then counting them up. But times have changed. Nowadays, elections are tabulated electronically with built in checks and balances and software. These new 21st century election machines are designed to prevent hanging chads, miscounts and missteps.
In Orange, as election procedures evolve, the need for the personnel to operate, repair, and program the modern equipment has changed too. At an April 7 work session, supervisors agreed to add a new position to the county payroll.
Orange County Electoral Board Secretary Marty Caldwell explained to county officials that none of the three members of the electoral board, nor the newly appointed registrar, nor the two part-time employees of the registrar's office had the skills, training or the time to service and specialize in the electronic voting format.
Since the 2000 presidential election "debacle," Caldwell said national and state legislators have continued to pass laws and mandates which put increasing demands on the resources-human and otherwise-of the county registrar's office. And historically, she said, those additional duties have been passed on to the electoral board.
"This is not the same job as it was 20 years ago; this is not the same job as it was two years ago," she said. And while electoral board members performed extra duties during recent elections-many of them related to hi-tech voting machinery and related procedure-Caldwell said the electoral board is simply unequipped and understaffed to continue to perform the ever-growing list of additional tasks.
District 4 Supervisor Teri Pace suggested an alternative to creating a new position which, with benefits, would cost the county around $40,000. Given the county's limited projections for revenue, perhaps one skilled, higher level full-time employee in the registrar's office would be more beneficial, and more economical than the current staff of one registrar and two part-time employees, Pace offered.
But neither of the part-time employees were interested in increasing their hours, according to Caldwell.
Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Lee Frame said he'd defer to the electoral board's judgment about staffing needs.
"If we don't have a credible election, we don't have a legitimate government," Frame said.
"When it comes to credible elections, I have real concerns that everything is squeaky clean anyway," District 2 Supervisor Zack Burkett said.
District 1 Supervisor Mark Johnson agreed with Frame. "There's no way we could really have first-hand knowledge about what is absolutely needed and what's not. I don't like adding a position when we're cutting [other county staff positions] but a credible election is important."
Johnson said he supported adding a new full-time position in the registrar's office. And Frame said he was "just not willing to risk any problems in this area."
With a third thumbs-up from District 3 Supervisor Teel Goodwin, the new full-time elections management position was approved by a 3 to 2 decision. Neither Pace nor Burkett verbalized support.