Frederick Prepares to Buy Touch-Voting Machines

By Andrew Martel
The Winchester Star

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Frederick County’s trial with touch-screen voting machines earlier this month was a success, according to election officials and voters — but now that the test run is over, the county must decide if it wants to buy.

New machines could cost about $200,000, and the county is considering three machines in each of its 19 precincts. The machines cost $3,000 to $3,400 each, depending on the manufacturer and whether it is handicapped-accessible, according to Voter Registrar Michael J. Janow.

Three vendors supplied machines, which resemble laptop computers, for the Feb. 10 Democratic presidential primary. The primary election gave the county electoral board an opportunity to choose which worked best, Janow said.

All three functioned without fail through the 13-hour election day, Electoral Board Secretary Linda Hyre told the Frederick County Board of Supervisors Wednesday.

The electoral board has narrowed its choice to either Sequoia Voting System of New York and Election Systems & Software of Omaha, Neb. The third vendor, Diebold of Dallas, was rejected because poll workers found the opening and closing operations for the machines to be difficult, Janow said.

Regardless of the cost, the county will provide whatever funding is necessary to pay for the machines, said Board Chairman Richard C. Shickle. It has no choice because a new federal law requires handicapped-accessible machines to be in place by November 2004. The lever machines must be phased out by 2006.

The county may not have to foot the whole bill for the new touch-screen machines because the new federal law includes funding for the machines, Janow said.

Out of 1,300 comments received from voters Feb. 10, more than 1,200, or 95 percent, were positive. Comments ranged from “very easy,” to “Welcome to the 21st century,” to “Very good for older person,” Hyre said.

Criticisms included “Liked old machines,” and “Let’s go back to paper ballots,” Hyre said.

Though some voters worry about whether computerized voting machines are tamper-proof, safeguards already are in place, Janow said.

Prior to Election Day, each machine is put through a mock election with pre-determined results, Janow said. If the machine does not give back the correct totals, it will not be put in service, Janow said.

No one is sure whether the machines will be in place for June’s congressional primaries or November’s general election.