County pushes to help disabled voters
By BRIAN SEALS  Santa Cruz SENTINEL   17 June 2005

When next June?s primary comes, voters who are blind, deaf or have other disabilities should be able to vote confidentially with no assistance.

At least that is the hope of county elections officials as they push to meet requirements of the federal Help America Vote Act that went into effect Jan. 1.

"We?re working on a very short time frame," County Clerk Gail Pellerin told the Board of Supervisors Thursday during budget hearings.

The county expects about $3.5 million in federal money to help acquire those systems.

But to date only one voting system has garnered state and federal approval and its does not have the software to run a primary election, Pellerin said.

And a primary is what is on tap for next June 6.

"It has the date of 6-6-6 for a reason: we?re calling it the beast," Pellerin said. 
 
The Help America Vote Act, or HAVA, was passed in 2002 in the wake of the 2000 presidential voting debacle in Florida. The act was meant to standardize voting systems in federal elections.

Aside from accommodating voters with disabilities, the system has to have a paper trail. Pellerin said she would like to find a system that would work in conjunction with the county?s current mark-a-vote system.

To help the county comply, the board on Tuesday will consider a $60,000 contract with a consultant, Visionary Integration Professionals of Folsom, to acquire a qualified system and to monitor the June primary to see how it works.

While keeping an eye toward next year, the Elections Department will be overseeing a special election called by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger earlier this week.

That vote is expected to cost about $400,000.

While Schwarzenegger?s proclamation called for counties to be reimbursed, history has rendered some skeptical.

"I think we should continue to plan for the potential of not receiving that reimbursement," County Administrative Officer Susan Mauriello said.

The 2003 election cost about $3 per voter.

"We submitted a bill to the state and it was politely declined," Pellerin said.

In other actions, Supervisors approved the County Clerk?s budget, as well as those of the Agricultural Commissioner, Assessor-Recorder?s office, Animal Services, County Counsel, Administrative Office, Board of Supervisors, Local Agency Formation Commission, Library, Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments and the Monterey Bay Air Pollution Control District.

Budget hearings resume at 9 a.m. today in Room 525 of the County Government Center, 701 Ocean St., Santa Cruz.

On the agenda are the budgets of the Planning Department, Public Works, Redevelopment Agency and Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services.