While Miami County’s Board of Elections was wrapping up work from the March 15 primary, it also was finalizing plans for the June 7 special congressional election and the November presidential vote.

The elections staff April 14 began the required audit of the primary election.

Later the same day, the board approved petitions for two items on the November ballot – the candidacy of Joe Mahan of Troy as an independent candidate for sheriff and a referendum of the Trafalgar rezoning in unincorporated Concord Township.

Mahan will face Republican nominee Dave Duchak, also of Troy, for sheriff.

Voters in the unincorporated township will again decide in the referendum if the county commission’s vote to rezone the Trafalgar property off Monroe Concord Road from agriculture to residential should move forward. Voters have overturned that rezoning repeatedly since 1995.

The winner of the special congressional election will serve the balance of former Rep. John Boehner’s term. Boehner of West Chester resigned in late 2015. Candidates include Warren Davidson of Troy, the Republican nominee; James Condit Jr., Green Party candidate; and Corey Foister, Democratic candidate.

The board also proofed the ballot for that election.

Elections Director Bev Kendall said the election would include the use for the first time of the new electronic poll books. The poll books, bought with state and county money, eventually could allow the county to save money by reducing the number of poll workers from four today. However, the office will continue to use four poll workers for the special and then presidential election.

The goal, Kendall said, is for poll workers “to get as much exposure as possible on the poll books.” Training on the electronic poll books was scheduled for this week.

The board also heard an update on equipment from Triad Election Systems of Xenia that is in use at the elections office and heard from the company president about possible additional software for elections functions.

Brett Rapp, Triad’s president, reported to the board on the status of the county’s voter registration system, which was monitored before and during the primary election after problems started around Christmas.

Rapp said his staff worked with the county IT staff on looking into the registration system problems. In the end, all old office computers were replaced and the system, using the same software as before, has not shown any problems, he said.

Rapp also asked election officials if there were any other issues involving that or any other equipment. None were report.

He also told the board the company had allowed the office to use its ballot on demand module for the primary election at no charge. If continued use was desired, the county would need to purchase the software for $5,000 initially and $1,500 the second year. Rapp said.

He also pointed out the county would need a special module for electronic poll book file creation utility in order for the poll books to work. The cost for the poll book software was $4,200 for the initial year followed by $600 in the second year. The board voted to buy the poll book file creation software.

The board then agreed to delay action on possibly buying the ballot on demand system and other available software. That software mentioned by Rapp included petition verification system, election official/filing information system module, campaign finance system and a questions and issues system.

The board met in a brief closed executive session before agreeing to delay purchase of any additional software until more information, including on options, was available.