Many voters in Delaware County will be adjusting to new voting machines and polling locations when they go to the polls for the general election Nov. 3.
All voters in Delaware County will cast ballots on optical scanners this year, and because the county was only able to purchase 30 machines, the number of polling places were pared from 40 to 28, according to Robin Alger, Delaware County deputy elections commissioner.
"We only had so much money to spend, and we didn't have machines for every polling site," Alger said.
Janice Burdick, county Democratic election commissioner, said the machines functioned well in the primaries, and people seemed to adapt well.
"The machines all seemed to be working fine in the primary," Burdick said. "There were no problems, and we recounted the ballots by hand and everything worked perfectly."
With the aid of federal money, Delaware County purchased 30 machines to be used at 28 polling stations. The machines cost about $11,500 each, and the counties had to buy special $75,000 Dell computers to program their voting machines.
In Colchester, voters in the hamlet of Corbett have to cast their votes in Downsville at the fire hall rather than in the Corbett Community Hall.
Colchester Supervisor Bob Homovich said he heard a few complaints about the change following the primary vote.
"I think most people realized that it was a change to save money," Homovich said. "We did the best we could with the situation we had."
Homovich said the Corbett voters who cast their ballots in District 4 turned out in good numbers for the primary, even though the polling wasn't held in their backyard.
Homovich said there was an additional reason to move the District 4 polling place. "The people who deliver the machines had trouble getting it into the community hall."
The primary was a good test run for the new optical scanners, he added.
"It gave people an opportunity to use the machines, and it worked out better than we thought it would," Homovich said. "People should also be aware that if we used the old machines, the state wouldn't certify the election."
The Delaware County Board of Elections will hold voting-machine demonstrations to familiarize voters with the new electronic optical scanners in the following locations:
ä The Deposit Episcopal Church on Monument Street from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday.
ä The Historical Society in the Davenport Town Hall from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday. All voters in Davenport will vote at this location this year.
ä Andes Town Hall at 115 Delaware Ave. from 2 to 6 p.m. Oct. 9.
The purpose of the demonstrations is to familiarize voters with the new system they will be using this in the Nov. 3 election. Voters are encouraged to attend and cast a ballot for hands-on experience.
For more information, call the Board of Elections at 746-2315.
Closed sites in Delaware
ä Community Hall in Corbett
ä Fire Hall in Davenport
ä Delhi Town Hall on Elm Street
ä A.L. Kellogg School in Treadwell
ä Head Start school in Fishs Eddy
ä Kortright Fire Satellite Station on Highway 12
ä Kortright Fire Hall on Scotch Hill Road, Bloomville
ä Hanford Mills Museum in East Meredith
ä Margaretville Fire Hall, 77 Church St.
ä Hallcottsville Fire Hall
ä Community Hall on Vega Mountain Road in Roxbury
ä Unadilla Baptist Church
ä Stamford Fire Hall
ä Community Church in South Kortright
Polling places
There are 59 voting districts in Delaware County with 28 polling places. Several polling locations have also been moved to new locations:
ä Andes "" No changes
District 1 "" Town court, 580 Main St.
District 2 "" Rod and gun club, 528 County Highway 1
ä Bovina "" No changes
District 1 "" Community hall, 1866 County Highway 6
ä Colchester "" District 4 moved
District 1 "" Town hall, 72 Tannery Road, Downsville
District 2 "" Fire hall, 116 Cooks Falls Road, Cooks Falls
Districts 3 and 4 "" Fire hall, 15166 State Highway 30, Downsville
(District 4 had been located in Corbett.)
ä Davenport "" District 1 moved
Districts 1 and 2 "" Historical society/town hall, 11790 State Highway 23, Davenport Center
(District 1 had been located at the fire hall.)
ä Delhi "" New location
Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4 "" Public safety building, 280 Phoebe Lane
(All districts had been located at the town hall.)
ä Deposit "" No change
Districts 1 and 2 "" Town hall, 3 Elm St.
ä Franklin "" District 2 moved
Districts 1, 2 and 3 "" Town hall, 12480 County Highway 21
(District 2 had been located in Treadwell.)
ä Hamden "" No change
District 1 "" Town hall, 20 Covert Hollow
ä Hancock "" District 5 moved
Districts 1, 2 and 5 "" Fire Hall, 29 Bridge St., East Branch
Districts 3, 4 and 6 "" Town office building, 661 West Main St., Hancock
(District 5 had been in Fishs Eddy.)
ä Harpersfield "" No change
District 1 "" Town hall, 25399 State Highway 23
ä Kortright "" New locations
Districts 1 and 2 "" Town hall, 51702 State Highway 10, Bloomville
(District 1 had been at the fire satellite station and District 2 had been at the fire hall.)
ä Masonville "" No change
District 1 "" Town hall, 1890 State Highway 206
ä Meredith "" District 2 moved
Districts 1 and 2 "" Town hall, 4247 Turnpike Road, Meridale
(District 2 had been at the Hanford Mills Museum.)
ä Middletown "" Districts 2, 3 and 7 moved
Districts 1 "" Fire hall, 1298 Main St., Fleischmanns
Districts 2, 4, 6 and 7 "" Purcell Parish Center, 61 Academy Street, Margaretville
Districts 3 and 5 "" Fire hall, 43365 State Highway 28, Arkville
(District 2 and 7 had been at the fire hall at 77 Church St., and District 3 had been at the fire hall on Halcottsville Road. In 2007, District 4 had been at the Stone School House in Dunraven.)
ä Roxbury - District 2 moved
District 1 "" Civic center, 60933 State Highway 30, Grand Gorge
Districts 2, 3 and 4 "" Fire hall, 53613 State Highway 30, Roxbury
(District 2 had been at the community hall on Vega Mountain Road.)
ä Sidney "" District 3 moved
Districts 1 and 3 "" Fire hall, 10400 County Highway 23, Sidney Center
Districts 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 "" Firefighters' training center, 72 River St., Sidney
(District 3 had been at the Baptist church on Covered Bridge Road.)
ä Stamford "" Districts 2 and 3 moved
Districts 1, 2 and 3 "" Town hall, 101 Maple Ave., Hobart
(District 2 had been at the fire hall in Stamford, and District 3 had been at the Community Church in South Kortright.)
ä Tompkins "" No changes
District 1 "" Kelsey Community House, 6877 County Highway 67, Hancock
District 2 "" Town hall, 148 Bridge St., Trout Creek
ä Walton "" No changes
Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 "" School bus garage, Delaware Street, Walton
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