It's been a tough year for the Cuyahoga County Board, which has been under state oversight since problems in the May 2006 primary kept polls open late and delayed vote counting.
During a press briefing Wednesday, Board director Jane Platten outlined improvements to the electronic voting system, including one simple fix that an employee came up with to keep better track of memory cards.
Jane Platten: There have been instances where one memory card is left in one device in one location and it's midnight and we're out there traipsing through locations looking for those cards.
Workers who set up and repair the county's 5,700 voting machines will stay at the polls Tuesday to solve problems for individual voters. In five locations where turnout has been historically heavy, a central sign-in system will be tested, so that problems don't stall the lines where ballots are distributed.
Platten said the county has virtually all of the poll workers it needs, including a substantial number of high school and college students who raise the average poll worker age from 68 to 57.
Platten still encourages everyone who can to vote absentee. Saturday noon is the board deadline for accepting applications to vote by mail. However, individuals can vote by absentee ballot at the board office until 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Kymberli Hagelberg, 90.3.