Committee approves language to create paper trail for N.C. voters

By MARGARET LILLARD
Associated Press Writer   25 January 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. - A bill to create a paper trail for North Carolina voters moved a step closer to reality Tuesday as a special committee agreed on language that would mandate a paper backup for electronic voting systems.

The demand for ballot receipts grew after a touch-screen machine in Carteret County failed to record more than 4,400 ballots cast before Nov. 2. With two candidates for state agriculture commissioner separated by just 2,287 votes, that race remains unresolved because of the lost votes.

Language approved by the group would require that all forms of voting result in a paper record _ either a standard paper ballot, an optically scanned ballot, or a paper receipt generated by electronic machines _ that voters can review for accuracy.

Should questions arise about election tallies, officials would be able to tabulate paper records to resolve any questions.

"At the present time, in the public's mind, paper seems to be the gold standard," said state Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, one of the committee co-chairs.

Another proposal approved by the committee of legislators, elections officials and citizens would address situations like that in Carteret. The panel said it backs drafting of legislation that would authorize boards of election to allow "a known group of voters" whose ballots are lost to cast new votes within two weeks after the election. Such a revote would not be considered a new election.

In Carteret County, officials know who the displaced voters are because they participated in early voting.

If approved, the draft measure would apply only to future elections and would do nothing to resolve the agriculture commissioner race. It remains unclear how that will be decided, as two different state courts have invalidated new elections called by the State Board of Elections _ one for all voters in Carteret County, the other statewide.

"It's too little too late," Kinnaird joked. "It would've been nice it we'd had it before."

Once the committee approves a final report, it will be submitted to the General Assembly, which will consider whether to pass bills modeled on the suggestions.

The panel had been expected to complete its report Tuesday, the day before the General Assembly convenes for the 2005 session. But members extensively reworded the proposed bill on paper ballots and wanted a chance to take a final look at it. They scheduled one more meeting for Feb. 3 to approve a final version of it and their full report.

Some committee members were concerned that, as originally worded, the proposed measure would make paper ballots the record of first resort, rather than a backup. Others sought, and got, phrasing that made clear that the electronic or mechanical count would be considered final if paper ballots were lost or otherwise rendered unreliable.

The panel also reworked other sections of the bill proposal, including one that would allow state officials and political parties to review the computer source code for electronic machines to evaluate their security.

Committee members also left in, for now, a clause that would order the State Board of Elections to create a code of ethics for itself and county elections boards, to address proper relationships between board workers and vendors with whom they do business, and "how to avoid both the reality and the appearance of conflicts of interest and impropriety."

State board member Bob Cordle, a committee member, complained that requiring such a code would imply improper behavior where none had occurred. But other committee members said it would be useful to have such guidelines in place. The matter is to be given final consideration next week.

Other proposals approved by the committee would:

_ Allow state and local public employees to take 24 hours of "community service leave" per year to work as precinct officials or in early voting sites.

_ Authorize boards of elections in counties that use optically scanned ballots to begin tabulating absentee ballots before election day, provided that the results are not released until election day.

_ Authorize the State Board of Elections to conduct a trial program in 10 counties to allow one-stop voting to continue through Election Day, instead of ending several days before.