Board refuses new voting machines

By: Greg Nath , Managing Editor Perry Chief
09/16/2004

ADEL - The Dallas County Board of Supervisors declined a recommendation to buy additional electronic voting machines during its regular meeting Tuesday morning.

The Supervisors had agreed to purchase 43 units of the 100 needed in 2002. Each machine cost approximately $4,000 and they were purchased from Electronic Systems & Software from Omaha, Neb. The Federal government passed legislation that would require all counties in the United States to change from paper ballots to computerized touch screen machines.

County Auditor Carol Bayeur-Dawson presented the Supervisors Tuesday with a bid to purchase 27 American Disability Act accessible machines and 30 normal ones. The bid price was for $230,000.

Dawson said these machines make life much easier for the auditor's office during the election. Each ballot is electronically stored on the machine and each machine tabulates the results. The old paper ballots require County workers to tabulate the ballots.

Supervisor Kim Chapman said he still has reservations about purchasing the new machines. He said the regulations require that counties have machines that have been certified by the Federal government. So far none of the companies that sell the voting machines has been certified.

He also said the state is considering providing funding to help the 99 counties pay for the new machines.

"If the County purchases the machines, there is a good possibility we won't be reimbursed and we still don't know if the machines will be certified," Chapman said.

"I feel you are pressing this Board for the purchase of the voting machines," he said.

Dawson said, "I am pressing you."

The Board denied the request by a unanimous vote.