Michigan closer to uniform voting ballot

[gristy]

On Tuesday this week Michigan announced its decision to go statewide with optical scan of paper ballots in its elections link.
Good news for the pro-democracy crowd!

State closer to uniform voting ballot
Ingham plans to use optical scan by '04 primary

By Chris Andrews
Lansing State Journal

Hanging chads will be a thing of the past as Michigan moves toward optical scan voting systems statewide, Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land announced Monday.

While most Michigan voters already use the system requiring voters to fill in an oval next to a candidate's name, it will represent a major change in Ingham County, where punch cards are the most frequently used ballots.

The changes, along with other election improvements, will be financed with $45 million to $50 million from the federal government and $2 million from the state.

"This is the law of the land now. This is something we're going to embrace," Ingham County Clerk Mike Bryanton said.

The county should have the system in place by the August 2004 primary, he said. The entire state will be converted to the optical scan system by the 2006 elections.

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