Paging Bev Harris--New Voting Machines for Lackawanna County

[PaDUer]

I've been waiting to see how long it was going to be before Diebold came to Lackawanna County..The R's didn't like the old lever machines!

Tuesday, September 14, UPDATED: 5:50 p.m.
By Megan Dardanell
New Voting Machines for Lackawanna County

-snip-
There are supporters of the old machines who say they work very well and don't need to be replaced. But a federal law meant to limit the number of voting errors requires new technology. Any county that uses the old machines has to get rid of them by 2006.

It's a big job that's just getting underway in Lackawanna County. The county public service building in Dickson City looks like an antique metal graveyard. There are 350 voting machines lined up, ready to go into service for the November election. They're the same machines the county's used for 70 years. But sometime in the next year they will disappear, to be replaced by high-tech, computerized voting machines.

Lackawanna County commissioners (Repubs) have approved a grant application that will net the county about $2 million from the federal government to buy new machines. The question now is what to buy.

-snip-

Cathy Hardaway with the voter registration department said her department's looking at two touch-screen models. She believes either will make vote-counting more efficient. "Election results will almost be immediate. There's a smart card. It looks like a computer disk and that's inserted in data-processing machine at the end of the day. We'll know election results with in minutes," explained Hardaway.


Full story--
http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=2298984&nav=5ka4QtIC

[AmerDem]

1. well, get ready for the fallout

There is no doubt Kerry is going to take the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area. I don't believe Wilkes-Barre has any electronic voting machines. I hope people start writing into the Trbune/Times Leader and Citizens Voice to make the area which has a high elderly population know what the downfalls are on these machines.:wtf:

[PaDUer]

3. I wrote to our local tv station

on their "talkback" board earlier this evening, and thus far, my comments have NOT been posted about these machines. I hope many others write in about these machines.
http://www.wnep.com/Global/link.asp?L=103920&nav=LxnX

Our newspaper, the Scranton Times, stopped their "comments" areas that allowed you to comment on any story well over a year ago.

[poliguru]

2. Ah yes, the "hanging chad" law...

Funny - I thought the main problem with the election was the crazy ballots in Miami-Dade. (And the vote fixing, but that came later). I don't think high-tech machines are going to change that specific problem.

[ParanoidPat]

4. I just got off the phone with Bev.....

.....she's observing an election right now but I'm sure she'll check in ASAP. In the mean time I'll help keep this kicked! :)

Expect some big news about Diebold from http://blackboxvoting.org very soon. :evilgrin:

[PaDUer]

5. Thanks....

You've got my cell phone #, give me a call tomorrow when you have a chance. :-)
Am sending you a PM.

[PaDUer]

6. KICK n/t