Ohio Bars Poll Workers From Taking Voting Machines Home

Ohio’s Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has notified poll workers that “sleepovers” will no longer be allowed in the days leading up to the election. A “sleepover” is when a poll worker takes a voting machine home. Apparently, this bizarre practice saves the 20 counties that engage in it a hefty chunk of money. Brunner’s office will reimburse the counties $100,000 for their inconvenience. The revelation of this bizarre practice is just another example of the many practices since the 2000 election that have shaken faith in the electoral process. From hanging chads to inaccurate voting machines, voters have expected a much more secure voting process. To imagine that Ohio, a swing state, has allowed poll workers to take voting machine homes during the past elections is another blow to that confidence. Probably nothing improper has ever been done, but the obvious potential is overwhelming.