Reply #23: (ID) Punch cards knocked out (OpScan in) [View All]

[Wilms]

The Times Online

Punch cards knocked out

PORTER COUNTY: County could get new election equipment by August

BY MATTHEW VAN DUSEN
[e-mail]
219.462.5151

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Wednesday, June 8, 2005 1:05 AM CDT

VALPARAISO | It's official: Porter County can choose its own election equipment.

The County Commissioners approved a contract on Tuesday with Omaha, Neb.-based Election System and Software to provide new voting machines for the county's 125 voting precincts. The county had until the end of this month to enter into a contract to buy voting machines that meet Help America Vote Act requirements or the state would have chosen the equipment.

In May, the county's election board approved the purchase of 140 optical scan tabulators, which use paper ballots that voters feed into the machine. Voting watchdog groups generally approve of these machines because they leave a paper trail for recounts.

-snip-

The equipment contract is for $1.3 million, a cost that does not include voting equipment that is required by law for people with disabilities. Brewer estimates the difference between what the federal and state grant money will buy and the final cost is about $600,000.

-snip/more-

http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2005/06/08/news/porter_county/485e1b32523ee5418625701a0005a74d.txt