Reply #10: Election Officials Still Hampered by Paper Ballot Shortages

[tbyg52]

It’s a simple question with no simple answer: Why do polling places across America keep running out of ballots when it’s no secret that this contentious primary season keeps breaking voter turnout records? For one, even the best-made plans have gone awry; officials in state after state have ordered more ballots, only to see turnouts exceed their most ambitious estimates.

Some states — California, for example — extended registration deadlines, in part to give would-be voters more time to sign up for the first Democratic presidential nomination race between a black man and a woman.

But some election officials say those extensions have necessitated a form of fortune telling when it comes to deciding how many ballots to order.

Not helping is the fact that ballot printing is a highly specialized field with a limited number of companies willing to take on the heavily monitored and time-consuming burden of producing and delivering voting cards. Price per ballot can range from 20 cents to more than $1, depending on complexity. Lead times for printing can range from months to weeks to days, depending on circumstances, including the proximity of Election Day.

More:
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/03/30/election-officials-still-hampered-by-paper-ballot-shortages/