Voting: Something old, something new

By James Faulk The Times-Standard   06 April 2005

EUREKA Humboldt County's optical-scan system will remain the primary voting technology used by local residents, but at least one touch-screen voting machine will be put in every polling place to allow those with disabilities better access.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to allow its staff to negotiate with the company Diebold on an agreement to provide approximately 110 of the touch-screen machines to help meet new accessibility requirements set under the Help America Vote Act.

California's counties are in a kind of bind in meeting the federal requirements because of some related state requirements. California law dictates that any touch-screen machines used in the state must produce a verifiable paper audit trail and be certified by the secretary of state. Diebold is the company closest to having that done, likely sometime later this month.

Since the county already uses machines made by a company that is owned by Diebold, staff will also negotiate with the company to potentially upgrade the old system to allow both systems to produce a single vote total.

Several people spoke on the issue at Tuesday's meeting, some expressing deep doubts about the integrity of the touch-screen voting machines and a desire for a return to old-style paper ballots.

Greg Allen, local attorney and chairman of Humboldt County's Green Party, said he likes the middle-of-the-road approach of using mostly the existing system it buys the county time and saves money, he said.

He doubted Diebold's assertion that the machines could not be tampered with, and said protecting the sanctity of the vote is paramount.

"If we can't do that, our electoral process is damaged," he said.

The board has to consider if the voting system would help voter's be confident in the outcome of elections or if it will create "unresolvable uncertainty," said Dave Berman of Eureka.

"Voting machines are inherently untrustworthy," he said.

He advocated for a return to paper ballots and hand counts, then criticized Diebold as a company made up of "criminals with partisan connections."

Warren O'Dell, the chief executive officer for Diebold, has been an outspoken supporter of President George W. Bush.

Aldo Bongio, a self-described conservative, said people are complaining about the voting system because their candidate of choice didn't win.

Several people asked that the decision be put off until the county could get more information, and Supervisor John Woolley of the 3rd District asked staff about the consequences of such a move.

County Clerk-Recorder Carolyn Crnich said the county needs to move as soon as possible so that the machines can be in place and the public and poll workers trained by the time they are needed. The Help America Vote Act requirements will take effect at the first of the year.

Supervisor Jill Geist said that the county could look at the use of the touch-screen ballots as a kind of pilot program. The county should watch the system carefully and if the system performs well it may help to build confidence in the system.

"I think there's always been questions about the integrity of elections," she said.

The problem is not peculiar to technology, she said.

With around 110 machines, there will be enough to put one in each polling place, have spares and to provide for training the public how to use the technology.

In other business, the board heard a report from cable consultant Sue Buske on the progress of the negotiations with Cox Cable on a new cable franchise agreement.

Humboldt County and its seven cities are in the process of renewing an agreement that allows Cox to use public infrastructure to offer its services. As part of the existing agreements, Cox Cable pays franchise fees to the cities and county under individual agreements with each.

In a compliance review leading up to the agreement, Buske said it was discovered that Cox may have underpaid those fees and owe those entities as much as $211,000 for the period of 1999-2002 and more since. The negotiations are addressing that issue and others, she said.

While Cox Cable is looking to sell its Humboldt County holdings, the franchise agreement will still hold sway with any new buyer, she said.

Cox's repayment of any money owed would likely also be a condition of allowing a new cable company to take over, she said.