The Cass County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), approved a recommendation from Chief Deputy Sheriff John Westering, for the hiring of two full-time jailers. The Board approved the employment of Maria Agboglo at a starting union scale wage of $14.06/per hour, effective Oct. 15th. The second Jailer hired, effective this past Monday, was Linda Marxen. Since Marxon had worked for the County previously, Westeringg recommended her union scale wage be paid at $14.50 per hour.

In other business, Auditor Dale Sunderman reported there has been a good deal of interest in the upcoming General Election, as demonstrated by the number of Absentee ballots requested and turned in. He said 960 persons have requested ballots, with a little over half having already been returned. Overall he says, it’s going pretty well.

With Monday being a holiday, nearly 60 ballots came into the Auditor’s Office on Tuesday. Sunderman says they’re averaging about 30 and 50 ballots requests per day. The last day to submit an Absentee ballot to the Auditor’s Office, is Nov. 3rd.

Cass Co. Auditor Dale Sunderman demonstrates a new voting machine for the blind/visually impaired.

He demonstrated to the Board the new vote tabulation machines, including one for persons who are blind or visually and/or hearing impaired.

Sunderman says it has an audio ballot. The difference between the new machine and the old AutoMark machine, is that the old style required an 8-by 14 ballot to be fed into it. The new machine generates a heavier, paper receipt similar to what you would get from a grocery store or other business. The receipt is about four-inches wide. Each precinct will have one of the special, touch-screen machines for blind/hearing impaired voters.