The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1956-10-04
Voting Machine
Question Still
up in the Air.
Decision Being Withheld
Until After Meeting
On Friday

The question of voting machines
was still in an uproar today.
Last week it was decided to use
paper ballots.
Monday the State COP insisted
that voting machines be purchased.
Tuesday the Garrett County
Commissioners made positive
move to get voting machines by
voting to l to order SO machines
from the Shoup Voting Machine
company of Philadelphia.
Yesterday the Shoup company
informed the Commissioners that
the price of machines had increased
since their low bid of several
months ago was turned down. The
Commissioners got in touch with
the Automatic Voting Machine COM
pany and discovered that the price
of its machines also had increased.
The Commissioners decided to
wait until Friday to make a final
decision.
The Commissioners had finally
decided they had the authority
themselves to order the machines
without the sanction of the cleo
ton board, and had passed a mo-
| ton to I to order the machines
from Shoup after they were in
| formed that sufficient number of
machines could be delivered in
time for the November 6 election.
The County Commissioners took
this action after they had heard
reports that the use of paper bal
lots this November might be il
legal. The Legislature voted in 1855
to make the use of machines man.
datory in all of Maryland by this
years election.
Before yesterdays vote men,
bers of the County Election board
and the Commissioners were split
over where to buy the voting ma
chimes, with two county commits
sionCrs and one election board
member favoring the Shoup ma
chimes, while one commissioner and
two election board members ia
VOred the Automatic machines.
A story published Tuesday eve
ming stated that CheSton H. Brown
ing, COP chairman for Garrett
county was informed at a meeting
last Saturday in Hagerstown that
if the dispute over voting machines
was not settled there was a chance
CARROTS votes would not count in
the November election. The story
stated that d. Eldred Rinehart.
chairman of the state COP central
committee, informed the Garrett
committee that they should at
tempt to lease voting machines for
the election and settle their trouble
after the election.
H. d. Swartzentruber, Commits
sioner president, said rental of the
] machines would be $3.50 each plus
transportation and insurance fees
and he would not agree to that
proposal.
The price increase now has the
Commissioners stumped. They were
told that machines of the Auto
matte company, manually operated
machines would cost Slab each,
or total of S51, 516OO. This COM
pany could deliver only the man.
ually operated machines.
The Shoup machines were cleo
trically operated and could be had
for S59,32O. This company could
deliver only the electrically oper-
ated machines.
There is the possibility that a
lawsuit would be filed, should the
County Commissioners proceed to
order the Shoup machines de-
livered, and this possibility could
not be discounted last night.
Chief Judge George Henderson
had Indicated earlier that the case
had reached an impasse and the
only way out was for someone to
change his mind. 1t was the opinion
Of the attorney to the Board of Su-
pervisors last week that nothing
could take away the right of indi-
vduals to have their votes counted.
regardless of legislative enact
ment, so that the question of the
legality Of the paper ballot was not
important. But he asserted the COM
missioncrs had a perfect right to
enter into Il contract for delivery
OF machines.
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