T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Belmont County Board of Elections member Lois Doneson, from left, Director Kelly McCabe and Assistant Director Aaron Moore review progress toward state-mandated security upgrades Tuesday. A special meeting will be held Sept. 25 to reviews bids for the work.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The Belmont County Board of Elections continues to work to meet security mandates set by the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office in preparation for the 2020 election.

Members also are seeking Republican poll workers for the next Election Day, Nov. 5.

On Tuesday, board members Michael Shaheen, Frankie Lee Carnes, Robert Quirk and Lois Doneson spoke with Director Kelly McCabe and Deputy Director Aaron Moore about the process for acquiring bids for the work. The board will hold a special meeting at 4 p.m. Sept. 25 at its St. Clairsville headquarters to review bids and potentially accept one.

In answer to a question from Quirk, McCabe said they should have the quotes by then. She said there likely will be three bids, and the bidders’ names and costs will be reviewed.

“The board will look at the bids then and decide which bid they’re going to accept,” McCabe said.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose visited the board in early September as part of a tour of boards of elections in all 88 counties. He said the deadline for the upgrades is in January. He emphasized that Ohio likely will be an important swing state during the 2020 presidential race.

McCabe said the board expects the upgrades to be completed after the Nov. 5 general election but before the January deadline. The state is providing funding for the work. Afterward, she said she could not go into detail about the nature of the equipment due to security issues, but she said the bidders are ensuring their equipment could meet the requirements.

“It’s all new computer equipment,” she said.

McCabe also said the board is awaiting links to a webinar for further security training from the state.

“In a week or two it’s going to be October, and (the state) was very clear there was a line drawn in the sand,” Shaheen said. “What I don’t want to happen is them breathing down you guys’ neck at Christmastime.”

Meanwhile, the Belmont County Title Office and Board of Elections are holding an open house at their new shared building on National Road, the former site of The Health Plan. Due to security concerns, the board of elections will confine its event to the lobby.

The board is also looking at a lack of registered Republican poll workers.

“We need at least seven registered Republicans,” McCabe said. “Please call our office.”

McCabe said the board would accept poll workers from either party.

“We always need alternates and backups,” she said.

“There has to be an equal (number of Democrats and Republicans),” Shaheen said.

“They show up. They have to be there by 5:30 a.m. The polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. They have to work that amount of time,” McCabe said.

After the polls close, one poll worker from each party delivers the equipment and ballots from each precinct to the board of elections site. Poll workers must attend a three-hour class.

Shaheen said poll workers earn a total of $258 for their training and hours worked on Election Day. He said a mileage reimbursement is paid to those working outside their own voting precincts, and presiding judges earn slightly more for picking up and dropping off supplies.

“You have to be a registered voter to be a poll worker. …We need them within the next couple of weeks,” McCabe said. “We’re scheduling classes for October. …We have to have them.”

To inquire about being a poll worker, call 740-526-0188

The next regular board meeting set for 4 p.m. Oct. 15 at the elections office.