Counties will be allowed to buy touch-screen voting machines

JOHN McCARTHY   Associated Press   14 April 2005

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The state's elections chief on Thursday reversed an earlier directive that counties can buy only optical-scan voting machines to get federal money, after negotiating a deal that will allow electronic touch-screen machines with paper printouts.

The price of $2,700 per machine negotiated with Diebold Election Systems is less than the price the state had earlier agreed to for machines that don't have the paper printout a voter can check, required by Ohio law.

Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell in January told counties the state couldn't afford the touch-screen systems, so they must choose systems in which voters mark paper ballots that are read by machines at the precinct.

States must replace outdated voting systems by the first federal elections of 2006 under the Help America Vote Act. The machines have nearly completed the federal certification process, Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo said.

The state has about $115 million in federal money available for upgrading the machines in all 88 counties, which LoParo said would cover the cost of buying touch-screen machines in all counties once inactive voters are purged from the rolls, meaning less machines would be needed.

Blackwell had estimated about $140 million for touch-screen machines under the old price, compared with $100 million to use the optical-scan machines and allow one touch-screen voting machine for disabled voters in each polling place.

Counties are expected to make a mix of choices, LoParo said.