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FROM THE 150 COUNTER AND GET AN AMENDED TOTAL TO THE SECRETARY OF STATES OFFICE, TO THE ATTENTION OF KATHY MALOTT.  HAVING RECEIVED THESE INSTRUCTIONS, KATHY THEN COUNTED ALL BALLOTS CAST ON ELECTION NIGHT ON THE 150 COUNTER, GENERATING NEW AND CORRECTED TOTALS TO BE CERTIFIED TO THE SECRETARY OF STATES OFFICE.
WE THEN CONTACTED OUR OPTICAL SCAN REPRESENTATIVE TO SEE WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO OUR 550 COUNTER ON ELECTION NIGHT.  THESE MACHINES WERE CHECKED AND INSPECTED BY THE ELECTIONS SYSTEMS AND SOFTWARE TECHNICIAN THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER IN READYNESS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION.  KATHY DISCUSSED MANY POSSIBILITIES WITH THEIR TECHNICIAN, NO ANSWERS COULD BE FOUND.  ELECTIONS SYSTEMS AND SOFTWARE, INC. WILL BE SENDING A TECHNICIAN TO GO OVER THE 550 COUNTER TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED ON ELECTION NIGHT AND HOPING THIS ERROR CAN BE FIXED AGAINST FUTURE PROBLEMS.
(2.) OUR REASON TO FULL COUNT PRECINCT HAND COUNT WAS TO SHOW VOTERS, MEDIA, ALONG WITH WITNESSES THAT THE OPTICAL SCAN COUNTER SYSTEM IS TRUSTWORTHY SYSTEM TO BE USING.  WE WANTED TO MATCH HAND COUNT WITH MACHINE SYSTEM COUNT.   AS IT TURNED OUT THE HAND COUNT WAS OFF IN SEVERAL PRECINCTS. SEEING SEVERAL PRECINTS THAT WERE HAND COUNTED WITH UNUSUAL TOTALS, WITH YOUR WITNESSES, OUR PART TIME STAFF RECOUNTED BEDFORD AND JEFFERSON PRECINCTS, PROVING THAT THE FIRST HAND COUNT WAS NOT CORRECT.  ALONG WITH MATCHING UP POLLBOOKS AND SIGNATURE BOOKS.
(3.)  SECURITY OF THE BALLOTS IN OUR OFFICE HAS BEEN VERY GOOD, WITH KATHY AND MYSELF HAVING THE ONLY KEYS TO THE BACK ROOM.  KEYS ARE LOCATED IN OUR OFFICE WITH ONLY KATHY & MYSELF KNOWING WHERE THEY ARE LOCATED.  ANYONE WANTING TO GET TO THE BALLOTS WHEN THEY ARE UNDER LOCK,  WOULD HAVE TO TEAR THE OFFICE APART TO LOCATE THE KEYS. WHEN THE  RECOUNT WAS DONE ON DECEMBER 14TH, KATHY AND MYSELF LOCATED THE BOXES WITH VOTED BALLOTS IN, IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS OF THE COUNTING ROOM AMONGST COUNTER TABLES FOR EASY ACCESS IN REMOVING AND RETURNING COUNTED BALLOTS TO THE PROPER BOXES, WE MADE IT EASY FOR OURSELVES, NOT REALIZING YOU AND THE WITNESSESS SHOULD HAVE WITNESSED THIS BEFORE THE RECOUNT BEGAN.  THE REASON FOR THE BLANK BALLOTS IN PRECINCT 2-A, IT IS A RETIREMENT PRECINCT, WITH TRAILER COURTS AND RETIREMENT HOUSING,   SOME ABSENTEE BALLOTS WERE RETURNED NOT VOTED BUT SIGNED BY THE VOTER ON THE OUTSIDE ENVELOPE,  THESE BALLOTS WERE RAN THROUGH THE COUNTER TO GIVE THE VOTER CREDIT FOR VOTING.
I HOPE I HAVE ANSWERED YOUR MANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU REQUESTED. I FEEL KATHY AND MYSELF HAVE GONE OUT OF OUR WAY TO RUN A FAIR, SAFE AND ACCURATE ELECTION FOR COSHOCTON COUNTY.