Diebold's touch-screen system OK'd

Blackwell lets Ohio counties use e-voting rather than optical scan

Erika D. Smith and Lisa A. Abraham  Akron Beacon Journal   15 April 2005

Ohio voters will get their hands on Diebold touch-screen voting machines after all.

Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell on Thursday reversed an earlier mandate that limited counties to buying optical-scan voting machines. The catalyst was a deal with Diebold Inc. that will cost Ohio millions more than optical-scan machines would, but will put more voting machines with newer technology in precincts.

``It's a blockbuster deal,'' said Blackwell's spokesman, Carlo LoParo.

Ohio officials estimated that Green-based Diebold stands to ring up $15 million more than it would have by supplying counties withoptical-scan machines and only a few touch-screen machines.

Butunder the deal, the company is selling its AccuVote-TSXs with snap-on printers for about $25 million below what it initially offered, Loaro said.

Mark Radke, director of marketing for Diebold Election Systems, declined to comment on potential revenue. He did say, however, that the company was able to provide the equipment for less because the printers which will provide a paper record of each vote link with the AccuVote-TSX.

Diebold's stock fell $1.15, or 2.1 percent, on the news to close Thursday at $54.49.

Meanwhile, local elections officials were pleased with Blackwell's decision to put another voting machine on the menu. Counties must pick a machine either a Diebold touch-screen or its optical-scan system by May 24. No other vendors have cleared testing yet to sell their machines in Ohio.

Summit's reaction

In Summit County, the Board of Elections voted to let Blackwell pick an optical-scan vendor for the county action that was never taken in Columbus.

Board members are scheduled to meet Tuesday; they are expected to discuss the implications of Blackwell's newest directive, said elections Director Bryan Williams.

``At this point, we do not have a formal decision. That's a decision the board has to make,'' Williams said.

He said the board previously studied the electronic voting system, so members will have knowledge about it. ``This is not like starting over,'' Williams said.

Board member Wayne Jones, a Democrat, said that before the board decides, he wants to know specifically what money is available for the voting machines. ``I'd like to know... what costs they (the state) are willing to cover and what costs the county has to cover, and I don't think we know that yet,'' he said.

Stark likely to change

Jeff Matthews, director of the Stark County Board of Elections, said Stark's board earlier this year followed Blackwell's directive and picked Diebold as its vendor for optical-scan machines, but reserved the right to switch to touch screens if circumstances changed.

The board had wanted to go with touch screens, and Matthews said he expects it now will move toward them. ``That was the direction they had previously expressed,'' Matthews said.

In Medina County, the Board of Elections is to meet April 28 and is expected to vote to buy touch-screen machines.

``We were anticipating electronic voting and were disappointed when the secretary of state chose optical scan.... This is very good news,'' Director Susan Strasser said.

Portage suing Blackwell

Lois Enlow, director of the Portage County Board of Elections, said her board sued Blackwell after he issued his previous directive telling the board it had to buy optical scan machines. The board was in favor of touch screens and didn't think Blackwell should be able to take away its choice.

That case is pending in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. A similar case brought by the Franklin County Board of Elections against Blackwell also is pending there.

It's unclear what effect Blackwell's new directive will have on the Portage suit, Enlow said. Her board is expected to meet at 8 a.m. Tuesday to discuss the developments.

In the meantime, Diebold's Radke said the company is pleased with the terms of the deal. Political and legal wrangling have kept the company on edge for months about what voting machines the state will buy and when.

Federal funding

``This should set the precedent for Ohio,'' Radke said.

In January, Blackwell told counties the state couldn't afford touch-screen voting machines, so they had to choose optical-scan systems.

The state has about $115 million in federal money available for upgrading voting machines in all 88 counties. LoParo said Ohio will spend that amount, compared with what would have been $140 million for touch-screen machines with printers a few months ago or $100 million for optical-scan machines.

Every state must replace outdated voting systems by the first federal elections of 2006 under the Help America Vote Act. Ohio plans to have everything in place by this November.

``This affords counties the choice of which system to utilize,'' Stark's Matthews said. ``For some counties, it may be optical scan; for others, it is touch screen.''