Republican state lawmakers say they have a plan to give Ohio’s 88 counties millions of dollars to replace thousands of voting machines that were bought more than a decade ago. And they could be ready in time for the 2020 presidential election.
$114.5 million has been set aside for new voting machines. Sen. Frank LaRose, a Republican from Hudson and a candidate for Secretary of State, said each county will get at least $205,000, with the counties with the most voters each getting $406,000. “The remaining dollars would be allocated on a per-registered voter basis. So, using round numbers, if your county has 10% of Ohio’s registered voters, you would receive 10% of the funding,” LaRose explained.
Counties backed this plan, but had wanted $175 million. LaRose said this should cover most of the cost of optical scan machines that use paper ballots, but electronic machines could still be bought. Rep. Kathleen Clyde of Kent, LaRose’s Democratic opponent, said the money should come from the capital budget instead.
