Tuesday is Election Day; early voting a tough task for election officials

Residents of Owego heading to the polls are facing a ballot highlighted by four candidates running for two seats on the town council. One of several contested local races, the town council race has Republican incumbent Barbara Roberts running for another term along with fellow Republican candidate Jonathan Marks and Libertarian candidates Rich Purtell and Keith Price Jr.

The Pennysaver reached out to all four candidates to ask them what makes them qualified for the position for which they are running. Here is what they had to say. Jonathan Marks stated, “I feel that I am best able to understand the needs of our Town because I am a life long resident, my wife and I have raised four children here and have been the beneficiaries of all that the area has to offer. I am a successful business owner and I have committed myself through charitable organizations to help improve the community such as Tioga County Rural Ministry, The Tioga County Fair, and the Owego Emergency Squad. The Owego Town Board is a position in which we as members are obligated to serve in the public’s best interest. My agenda will be what my constituents want from their town.” 

Keith Price Jr. stated, “I am in the community every day! As a youth sports coach, volunteer for two non-profits, county Libertarian Party Affiliate leader, auditor for an international fraternal order, and district officer for the aforementioned fraternal order, I speak directly with the people of Owego each and everyday. This direct contact in my daily life gives me insight into their actual opinions and feelings about the direction of our town, its policies, and the operations. My leadership, community outreach, my ability to think and see in numbers, and my ability to connect with the residents, is why I am the best option for this seat.”

Rich Purtell wrote, “I’m a mechanical engineer with 34 plus years of experience in construction, focusing on HVAC and energy management. As I often say, the key difference between science and engineering is economics. I have to prove a favorable cost/benefit ratio to any project that I execute for my customers. I’ve focused on commercial, industrial, and municipal work in my career.”

He added, “The same kind of scrutiny should apply to government services.”

Barbara Roberts wrote, “I have eight years of experience as a Town Board Member. In that time (we) have made responsible budget and financial decisions. I have been involved in flood mitigation, extending sewer and water infrastructure to 434, bringing new jobs to the Town, Hickories Park improvements and keeping the Utilities Department updated and compliant. As a local family business owner for over 22 years, I bring local commitment as well as business experience.”

Countywide early voting is in full swing, and while it might not necessarily increase voting numbers, it does give local residents more opportunity to have their voices heard. 

“Obviously the intent is to increase voter turnout by creating almost ten times the chance to vote, but it remains to be seen. This is an experiment for New York State to see what happens I guess,” said James Wahls, democratic county commissioner for the Tioga County Board of Elections. 

Bernadette Toombs, who serves as the republican commissioner, said that getting ready for the early voting was no easy task. 

“Security and voting protocols were equally hard to put into place,” said Toombs. 

“While this year extra voting expenses will be refunded by the state that will not be the case going forward,” Toombs said, adding, “The extra budgetary constraints are only part of the problem going into the future though. There are not enough inspectors, many are retiring or relocating, and we do not have enough if someone has an emergency. And some people are uncertain of being able to embrace the new technology, but once we have our inspectors trained they have quite easily said this isn’t so bad after all.” 

Toombs and Wahls also bemoaned the lack of space the board of elections currently has in its current location at 1062 NY-38 in Owego. 

“We have already outgrown our space before we even got the new electronic poll books,” said Toombs. 

Despite this she said there are currently no plans to get a new space. 

“It would be my guess that many board of elections are encountering the same issue of holding electronic poll books in a limited space along with the storage, and circuitry. One thing touches another and we are just rolling with everything that comes forward within the parameters of election law,” Toombs said. 

With all the work that has gone into setting up early voting in Tioga, Wahls said he certainly hopes that residents take advantage of having nine times as many days to vote this year than in years past. 

Early voting ends Nov. 3 and is only taking place at the Board of Elections. Regular voting will still take place Nov. 5 with polls opening at 6 a.m. and closing at 9 p.m. For more information or to find your polling location, visit the Tioga County Board of Elections website at www.tiogacountyny.com/departments/board-of-elections or call them at (607) 687-8218.