Three more California counties approved for electronic voting

Associated Press    12 August 2004

OAKLAND, Calif. - Three more California counties have been approved for electronic voting in the November election, bringing to 11 the number of counties cleared to cast digital ballots with touch-screen machines.

Secretary of State Kevin Shelley on Wednesday certified Alameda and Pluma counties for full use of their touch-screen machines and Los Angeles County for early voting only. In exchange, the counties promised to meet nearly two dozen measures to ensure improved security and reliability.

With Wednesday's decision, as much as 20 percent of California voters could cast their votes electronically this year on machines that state and local officials acknowledge have security flaws. But they say new software and procedures for poll workers address many of the security concerns.

"We are confident that it is accurate and will record votes correctly," Elaine Ginnold, assistant voter registrar in Alameda County, told the Oakland Tribune.

Shelley triggered an uproar among county elections officials in late April when he temporarily disallowed e-voting in California until counties met conditions to prevent computer glitches that disrupted some March primary elections.

"Everybody at all levels worked very hard to resolve the issues," said Shelley spokeswoman Lauren Hersh. "We can set up the best of systems, but there needs to be follow-through by the counties."

In a separate decision Wednesday, a state elections panel recommended approval for Deibold Inc.'s optical scanning software, allowing its use in 17 counties.