Montgomery County, Ohio, Voters to Use Touch-Screen Voting Machines

By Susanne Cervenka, Dayton Daily News, Ohio Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

 

Apr. 1COLUMBUS, Ohio - Montgomery County voters will cast ballots on touch-screen equipment manufactured by Diebold Elections Systems of Canton, Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell decided Wednesday.

Meanwhile, state lawmakers are closing in on initial recommendations for the voting machines, including possibly using voter-verified audit trails, a system that prints a paper version of the ballot that allows voters to double-check their choices.

Blackwell ed Diebold's direct recording electronic voting systems as the county's vendor after reading favorable arguments for the machines from Montgomery County Board of Elections members Tom Ritchie and Dennis Lieberman.

Members James Nathanson and Sue Finley voted against making any ion to await recommendations from a state legislative committee studying security risks.

Blackwell removed Ritchie and Lieberman's condition that the machines meet future requirements coming from the state legislative committee. Blackwell's spokesman, Carlo LoParo, said it was "unfeasible to set conditions for future actions."

County elections board Deputy Director Steve Harsman said he approved of Blackwell's ion.

"Diebold is the leader in the industry and provides the best and most secure systems for citizens of Montgomery County," he said.

Blackwell last week sent a directive to five counties, ordering them to a vendor or have the decision made for them. Blackwell and his staffers spent most of Wednesday working out split decisions from Montgomery and two other counties with tie votes, LoParo said. Vendor picks for Hamilton, Highland and Clinton counties are expected by Friday, he said.

Preble County, which also received the directive, ed Election Systems & Software of Omaha, Neb., last week and faxed the decision to Blackwell's office Wednesday, LoParo said.

Recommendations from the Joint Committee on Ballot Security could come by Wednesday, said committee chairman, state Sen. Randy Gardner, R-Bowling Green. He asked committee members to submit by noon Friday their suggestions regarding ballot security, which could become the committee's initial recommendations next week.