Public to be polled on use of electronic voting

By STEPHEN SINGER
Associated Press Writer

December 22, 2004, 12:53 PM EST

HARTFORD, Conn. Connecticut residents will be polled in the spring on the use of electronic voting machines that are to make their debut in the November 2005 municipal elections.

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz announced Wednesday that manufacturers of electronic voting machines have until Feb. 23 to submit bids to install one voting machine in each of Connecticut's 769 polling places. The machines are required by a 2002 federal law that was enacted after Florida's balloting problems in the 2000 election.

In making the announcement, Bysiewicz, a Democrat, took a swipe at former Republican Gov. John G. Rowland, who resigned in July over contracting scandals that prompted a legislative impeachment committee and federal investigation.

"If this had been done earlier we would have made better contracting decisions," said Bysiewicz, referring to the polling process. "Hopefully, this will set a new standard in the state contracting process."

The Department of Public Policy at the University of Connecticut will poll residents on the use of machines from three finalists' in each of the state's five congressional districts in the spring.

Chris Barnes, UConn's public policy project development director, likened work to product research. Residents will be asked to test the machines by casting votes in a mock election, such as weighing in on the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry, to determine ease of voting and accessibility.

The acceptance of a machine by the public will be one of several factors used by state officials to make a decision next summer, Bysiewicz said.

Voters in Connecticut now use mechanical voting machines that have been in use since President Franklin D. Roosevelt occupied the White House. The machines generally work well, but are no longer manufactured, creating problems when they break, she said.

In addition, federal law requires states to permit disabled voters to cast their ballots without assistance. Blind voters, for example, now must be accompanied in the voting booth to help cast a ballot, ruling out an independent vote.

And contrary to federal law, mechanical lever machines do not leave a paper trail, Bysiewicz said.

Voting systems must be d by Jan. 1, 2006.

The state has received nearly $33 million in federal funding to purchase the machines, provide training for poll watchers and pay other related costs.

Companies that respond to the state's request for proposals will be considered based on their track record, whether their machines produce a paper trail, if they are certified by an independent testing lab, if they face lawsuits and other factors.

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