FL: Touchy voting issue returns - Volusia to decide on touch-screens

[Wilms]

Touchy voting issue returns
Volusia to decide on touch-screens

By JAMES MILLER
Staff Writer

Last update: December 11, 2005

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The solution proffered by County Chairman Frank Bruno is to replace the county's current paper-ballot system with a similar paper-ballot system and additional touch screens from Nebraska-based Election Systems & Software for $2.6 million.

Under the deal, the company would exchange the touch screens for the paper-ballot marking AutoMARK, a device with audio capabilities already being purchased for use by disabled voters in some other states, when it's approved for use in Florida. If the technology is not certified in Florida by a date still under negotiation -- probably May 1 or June 1 -- the county could return the entire system for a refund.

The alternative preferred by Supervisor of Elections Ann McFall is to keep the current system and buy touch screens without paper ballots from the current system's vendor, Texas-based Diebold Election Systems, for $780,000. In either case, federal grant money would pay for about $700,000 of the cost.

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The battle heated up recently when activist Susan Pynchon of the DeLand-based Florida Fair Elections Coalition launched an e-mail missive charging the state with improperly certifying Diebold's newest touch screen.

She cited evidence from a public records request showing one of four machines brought to the state for testing in March failed, but the state didn't acknowledge it. Among her other numerous charges is that AutoMARK for its certification test was required to recreate the 2004 general election in Miami-Dade County with almost 800,000 ballots, while Diebold in its test was required to run only 10,010 ballots.

"You know what it really seems like to me?" said Pynchon, who strongly supports the Election Systems & Software deal. "It seems as though the state of Florida does not want verified elections."

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SideBars

Here's a look at Volusia County's two proposed voting technology contracts:

Here's a recap of Volusia County's efforts to acquire accessible voting machines for people with disabilities in Volusia County:

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http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/03NewsHEAD03121105.htm

[katinmn]

1. It is abominable that fed dollars are available to convert

vote counting to electronic paperless systems.

While there have been some successes where the people have been able to steer elections officials away from bad buying decisions, the march toward paperless voting seems unstoppable.

Just like the war in Iraq, Americans are being made to pay for something against our best interests.

Replace Congress in 2006.

[Aviation Pro]

2. Mr. Bruno's proposal....

...should be vehemently opposed by everyone in Volusia County and througout the country. You can leave a message for him at [phone].