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Show 12 — For the week of October 31, 2008 ST. GEORGE NEIGHBORHOODS _ The Spectrum — www.thespectrum.com citizen @ Calvin Robison keeps the election process hale and hardy for Washington County voters BY BRIAN PASSEY Although he’s in charge of elections in the county, Robison is not always involved in the counting process on election night. That’s because the county clerk/auditor is an elected position and he has to “runDE office as a. candidate every four bpassey@thespectrum.com ST. GEORGE — Many aspects of voting have changed since Calvin Robison first ran for Washington County clerk/auditor 14 years ago. Most of those changes came ea the last four years as Utah implemented ‘electronic voting to meet requirements of the Help America Vote Act of 2002. As the county clerk, Robison is in charge of all voting within Washington County and he was instrumental in helping the “county make the transition to electronic voting. James Eardley, chairman of the Washington County Commission, says Robison was at the forefront of the county’s transition. He also credits Robison as being an advocate for early voting and centralized voting. The clerk's office still has to count optical scan ballots and verify absentee ballots but with all ballots cast through electronic voting, the count is instantaneous. i “It does make our job easier, particularly on counting night,’ Robison says of the new voting system. A downside to the electronic voting is the cost. Robison says the punch card system was less expensive to operate. Brian Passey / St. George Neighborhoods Calvin Robison, Washington County clerk, stands with an electronic voting machine Monday outside his office at the Washing- ton County Administration Building in St. rge. Robison oversaw the implementadon of altltocse vetea ia Gee Coins “Tt costs us a lot more to run the election now; he sa There have also been concerns about the machines themselves, especially among voters who do not trust the electronic system. However Robison says all the machines used in the county do have a paper trail, which helps with verification. Aithoughs Robison, a Republican, has only faced a challenger in one general election, he believes staying away from the counting room is the right thing to do because of his philosophy to avoid even the appearance of any wrongdoing, soca He's now in his fourth term and is up for re-election again in 2010 but Robison says he doesn't have plans to run. “Tve got other things I want to do, he says. With eight grown children and 25 grandchildren, Robison and his wife, JoAnn, are looking forward to spending time with family and possibly serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a couple. Robison also spends time caring for his 91-yearold father who still lives in Robison’'s hometown: Overton, Nev. Alleight of the couple's children — five boys and three girls — have served missions for the LDS Church and Robison credits his wife with inspiring both him and their children. “You need to pick someone who helps you be better; he says of choosing a spouse. The only pay increase Robison got this year was Social Security since the Washington County Commission voted e See ROBISON on pg. 13 |