Voting made easier
May 25,2005
Victoria Hirschberg     The Monitor

EDINBURG ? Hidalgo County Commissioners Court unanimously has approved a new electronic voting machine system, often called "direct recording electronic devices," at a cost of $1.8 million.

The new touch-screen system will be provided by Election Systems & Software and could be in use as early as the September constitutional election.

The days of pulling the palanca ? a local reference to the old Shoup lever machines ? in county elections are almost over, much to the relief of Elections Administrator Teresa Navarro. She?s been working and waiting for almost three years for the county to approve a new system, she said, and this is the first overhaul of the county?s election system since 1968.

"I want it in writing ... so they can start their factory and get the machines down here," Navarro said after commissioners approved the contract.

Now that the contract has been awarded, Navarro said, the next step will be to train election workers on the equipment before early voting begins for the September election. The chance to try out the new machines hopefully will get voters to the polls in September and prepare the county for the much larger March 2006 primary, in which several offices are up for grabs.

The Elections Commission met Monday and agreed to recommend ES&S as the vendor to provide 125 machines that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and 350 regular units. ES&S uses an iVotronic device that includes a 15-inch touch-screen with up and down buttons to navigate the ballot and a "vote" button. The Texas Secretary of State has approved four companies, including ES&S, to compete for county election systems. The state also awarded Hidalgo County a $2.6 million grant in April to pay for the new system and other necessary improvements. The new machines come at no cost to the county, and there is extra money for equipment upgrades or new machines.

The extra money is important because House Bill 2465 is asking the Texas Secretary of State to study and draft procedures for a "paper trail," which would give voters durable confirmation of their vote. By August 2006, Hidalgo County?s electronic system may need to have printers attached. If the state certifies those machines, the county could use the remaining grant funds, Navarro said.

For now, county officials are content they had the funds just to purchase the new system.

"I think it will be fairly easy for the public to use," said Elections Commission member and county Tax Assessor Armando Barrera, before the commission?s vote.

Pct. 4 Commissioner Oscar Garza agrees. He saw an ES&S presentation about six months ago and liked the system.

"It was touch-screens and pretty straightforward," Garza said. "Whatever election system we got, people are going to be scared, intimidated. These ones appear to be the most user-friendly."

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