Cost to keep polling places is worth it

I’d like to applaud County Council members John Koster and Gary Nelson for their ongoing quest for accurate elections in Snohomish County (July 12 article, “Polling decision will cost $1.67 million”).

Koster and Nelson have questioned the security and potential for fraud with mail-in ballots. I also had to wonder, what about the potential for fraud with voting machines that have no paper trail? So did lawmakers in Olympia. Snohomish County taxpayers have just begun paying a $5 million debt for “blind faith” electronic voting machines over 15 years.

Now, the recently purchased voting machines must be upgraded due to the lack of security and potential for fraud. Even though taxpayers must pay twice, the cost will be worth it. The razor thin margin of victory in recent presidential and gubernatorial races underscores the need to be diligent in examining every avenue possible where election fraud may exist.

Brian Reh

Granite Falls