Votes in at least two contests from the Nov. 3 election are to be recounted following the official ballot count approved during the Seneca County Board of Elections meeting Wednesday.

The board voted unanimously to certify the results.

Based on those results, votes in the New Riegel Village Council and Jackson Township Board of Trustees races are to be recounted.

Janet Leahy, elections director, said a recount might be needed in the Arcadia Board of Education race, based on contact from Hancock County.

Recounts are to be performed Monday.

The board voted to allow five ballots to be counted that were cast in the wrong district but used the same ballot.

"It's hard to turn away a registered voter," board member Charles Knight said.

The board also allowed seven absentee ballots to be counted that were postmarked Nov. 2, but were not received on election day.

The board did not allow to be counted seven ballots from voters who failed to provide identification nor 18 ballots from unregistered voters.

The board also voted to approve a $298,561.45 budget for 2010, $29,664.78 less than 2009.

Due to budget cuts, the elections board cannot hire part-time help for the second consecutive year. Board members said they may not open polls in some non-required retirement facilities because of a lack of staffing.

"If the others are not required by law, we should be cutting them back," Knight said. "If the commissioners think we should be doing it, then we tell them to give us the money [for extra staff]."

In the past, the elections board either has hired extra help or had clerks staff polls in nursing homes, which is required by state law, and retirement homes, not required under the law.

Leahy said it would be useful to have the clerks in the board office during busy times.

In other news, the board moved to purchase enhanced history posting software from Triad Government Systems Inc., which provides election systems for Seneca County.

Jose Trejo, a Triad employee, presented information on the software, which would improve history posting. Trejo said the system may not save the county money, but would greatly reduce posting errors.

"What's driving this is not savings - it's in how accurate you can be," he said.

Leahy said she believes the system could be of great importance to the county.

The program is to cost the board $3,500 initially and $700 annually. Members said the board can afford it this year because of savings from printing its own ballots, but do not expect it could in the future.

The board also voted to allow employees to use compensation time to close the office Dec. 24, which is typically a half-day off. The office also is to be closed Nov. 26-27, in accordance with other county offices.