Commissioners asked to consider hand-counting ballots

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County Commissioners were asked to consider reverting to hand-counting ballots in order to ensure against election fraud.

Pamela Frecks, a Republican activist from Cambridge, said she became concerned after discovering her 96-year-old mother-in-law had voted despite her family having no intention of arranging for her to fill out a ballot.

Commissioner Cayla Richards and County Clerk Tami Teel explained that it's common practice for nursing homes to give residents the option of voting and facilitate voting by residents.

Teel said the Hillcrest Nursing Home resident's signature could be compared with her original voter registration, but Frecks said her mother-in-law was unable to sign documents, using a stamp instead.

Both Teel and Commissioner Randy Dean, also a member of the Hillcrest board, said they would look into the matter.

All votes generate paper ballots, Teel explained later, and machine counts and recounts routinely yield the same results.

In the days of hand counts, election results were often not complete until the next morning, when local election officials were left only an hour or two to take a shower and get back to work to answer telephone calls seeking results.

It is already difficult to recruit election volunteers, she said, and they are often older residents who shouldn't be asked to work all night. Even if they do, they are more likely to make hand-counting errors early in the morning after a long day at the polls.

Freck's visit was part of the citizen's comments portion of the commissioners' meeting and no action could be taken.

After information was presented by Brandy Bird of the Red Willow County Health Department, commissioners voted to approve a project to make the health department office's door handicap accessible for nearly $5,000, including concrete and electrical work.

Commissioners tabled a flooring project, estimated at $7,685, to replace carpet and repair tile at the office.

The board also accepted a county zoning board recommendation to vacate a half-mile of County Road 404, unused since the 1940s, south from Road 714. The residents who own land on either side of the road, established in 1893, asked it to be vacated so a building could be constructed. The actual resolution won't be approved until next week, however, allowing time for a provision to include a utility easement in case the county needs one in the future.

Paul Grieger of the D.A. Davidson company updated commissioners on the current bond market, saying the jail bond the county is currently paying off is lower than could be obtained now, and he didn't expect rates to decline any time soon.