Party officials are split over eSlate concerns
Straight-party voting option draws confusion
By ROBERT CROWE and KRISTEN MACK
Houston Chronicle   29 October 2004

Local chairs of the Republican and Democratic parties differ on whether the eSlate electronic voting machines may confuse people who vote on a straight-party ticket.

Some voters have said they get indications that they have voted for the opposite party when casting a straight-party ballot.

Jared Woodfill, chairman of the Harris County Republican Party, does not believe a problem exists. He said no one has complained to the local GOP.

"I think people have gotten used to the system in the last election cycles," he said.

But Gerald Birnberg, chairman of the Harris County Democratic Party, said he has heard some concerns.

"We need to go back to the drawing board to improve the way the screens present themselves to voters, because that is confusing," he said.

County Clerk Beverly Kaufman said confusion may be caused by a list of candidates appearing after a straight-party ballot is chosen. By scrolling through the list, however, voters will reach a "next" key that allows them to double-check the ballot before officially casting it.

In a separate incident, elections officials said a telecommunications glitch at the Fiesta Mart Inc. early-voting site on Kirby delayed voting Thursday. A modem connection prevented poll workers from verifying voters electronically.

A technician repaired the problem in 20 minutes, said David Beirne, spokesman for the Harris County clerk's office.

The eSlate voting machines continued to work.

"It had nothing to do with the voting system," Beirne said. "It was our telecommunications system. Their port of entry somehow became disconnected."