MANSFIELD — An open house to show off a Richland County Board of Elections makeover on Wednesday also offered a behind-the-scenes look at the equipment it takes to run an election these days.
Local elections Director Matt Finfgeld, Deputy Director Jane Zimmermann and their staff members welcomed local media and guests to their remodeled and more secure facility at 1495 W. Longview Ave.
The bipartisan elections board — Democrats Venita Shoulders and Larry Weirich and Republicans Bill Freytag and Megan Whatman — were also in attendance during the two-hour open house.
Richland County commissioners in May approved spending $66,000 in capital funds to improve and better secure the local Board of Elections office.
(Photos below were taken during the Richland County Board of Elections open house on Wednesday morning. This story continues below the gallery.)
“Jane and I started talking about this last fall. And then the remodel started the day after the May primary of this year,” Finfgeld said. “It’s just about a complete remodel.”
The lobby used by the public looks dramatically different with the movement of the counter, the addition of an ADA-compliant seat and glass walls aimed at securing the employees and the remainder of the primary office suite.
New office equipment was purchased, cabinets were installed, carpeting was replaced through the board’s offices and walls were repainted.
Zimmermann said the security improvements were suggested by the U.S. Office of Homeland Security. But the improvements on display Wednesday were more than that, she sad.
“It’s not just the physical security. It’s also the functionality,” she said. “Our desks rolled. I had drawers that I had to wedge paper in to keep them closed. It’s operating smoother now.”
In the plan approved by commissioners in May, costs were scheduled to be broken into the following categories:
— $31,000 to Ritter’s Office Outfitters for desks, cubicles and workstations.
— $22,000 to Kastran Karpets Inc. to carpet the main office, early voting room/lower classroom and small offices off of the equipment rooms that used to occupied by the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District.
— $10,000 to J&B Equipment & Supply for plexiglass and door to secure the office.
— $2,500 to Quality Countertops for countertops.
— $500 for miscellaneous costs associated with rewiring computers and printers in the office.
The remodel also created space for part-time workers that are added during an election season, a necessary element with the 2024 presidential election cycle about to begin.
“They can go turn around and work on ballots together,” Finfgeld said. “It’s got a little table that comes out.
“Part-timers have two computers dedicated to them over there that we haven’t always had. We’ll be having a lot of part-timers coming up.”
