Buddy's election boxes came at high price

TAMPA — They’re called ballot boxes, but the containers Hillsborough's supervisor of elections office bought last year are so much more.

They have electronic sensors and a motor inside. A special tread is designed to increase capacity. And they cost $1,850. Each.

“That’s a lot of money,” said Kurt Browning, Florida’s secretary of state. “I would not be paying more than $1,000 a box.”

As officials sift through the $2.3-million deficit left by former Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson, it’s the $407,000 he paid for 220 ballot boxes that has raised the most eyebrows.

“That’s the primary concern for us right now,” said County Administrator Pat Bean. “When I heard how they paid for each box, I was like, ‘Whoa!’”

Johnson signed a contract with Premier Election Solutions on Aug. 14 last year for the boxes, which added to some his office already had in stock. These boxes, made of durable plastic and metal, were attached to optical scan machines bought from Premier earlier in the year.

But as Election Day neared, Johnson fretted about high voter turnout, said Premier’s spokesman, Chris Riggall. Johnson told Premier he wanted to expedite voting by speeding up the time it took to replace boxes filled up with ballots, Riggall said.

Browning said that typically poll workers remove the boxes, dump the ballots into a bag or a cheaper box, and then re-attach the scanner to the now-empty box. Instead, Johnson opted to buy more of the special scanner boxes.

That means that many of them were used for storage during much of Election Day.

Johnson's method, replacing the full box with an empty one, did have the advantage of speed. It is "the quickest way to do it,” Riggall said.

But was it also more expensive than using regular storage containers?

“Oh sure,” he said. “That’s fair to say.”

Even compared to other optical scanner boxes, the boxes attached to the Premier scanners were expensive. Pinellas, for instance, had boxes attached to scanners that sold for $425 each. Palm Beach County boxes cost $145 each.

-- Michael Van Sickler, Times staff writer *

Comments

“That’s the primary concern for us right now,” said County Administrator Pat Bean. “When I heard how they paid for each box, I was like, ‘Whoa!’”

Good comment, Pat… brief, yet… like… pointless.

[D.Blue]

As Jeb said: "He's NOT MY Buddy!!"

[Joe]

I understand why it was done. All the poll workers were old folks so imagine them taking MORE time to change the boxes and empty them into a bag.. Heavens, we'd be there all week.

[joe]

Sounds like Buddy devised a kickback scheme to help pay his back taxes, his
mortgages on his looming foreclosures, etc.
Let's say $850.00 per box multiplied by 220 boxes equals $187,000.00
That amount can pay off a good deal of debt.
Subpoena Premier and see what they charged other states and counties.

Sounds like Buddy and Premier had a nice profitable scam going on. I hope the state digs into this. Once again greed rules and fools fall.

[Jeb And Buddy -- What A Pair]

Is Buddy THAT dumb to think this would not hit the news? I sincerely hope they drag this guy through the mud and over a bed of rattlesnakes.

It's what he deserves.

Appointed by Jeb!

Classic! No cries from the repugs on how we should hold him accountable.

Why isn't the county repug party or the state speaking out??? Because they see nothing wrong with wasting tax payers' money so long as it doesn't go to the unemployed, uninsured children, or worker training.

They are immoral criminals.

[Bill]

Obviously, it helped. Didn't Hillsborough have election results completed before anyone else in the state?

Wait, what was that? Last?!?

Nevermind...

[notsosmart]

Joe @ 5:16 PM and I think the same!

January 16, 2009
Buddy Johnson left behind uncounted ballots

Hillsborough Elections Supervisor Buddy Johnson's successor has discovered more than 400 uncounted ballots from the November election, reports tampabays10.com. Elections Supervisor Phyllis Busansky said she doesn't think the ballots would change any election outcomes.

Again: “Elections Supervisor Phyllis Busansky said she doesn't think the ballots would change any election outcomes.”

Great… another confirmation from a Bay Area SOE that “YOUR” vote doesn’t matter. And you all thought things would be different.

insane! he lost 440 ballots!!

perhaps he didn't have enough containers for them.

what an idiot. Republicans should have primary challenged this guy...

[Nico]

wow, the ballot boxes I know only cost a fraction of this price. That's like the price of a car.