Touch-screen or scan: That's voting panel's choice
Anthony Man     South Florida Sun-Sentinel   July 9, 2005

Arthur Anderson is taking a step toward making good on a centerpiece of his campaign for supervisor of elections: reducing public distrust of Palm Beach County's election equipment. Ultimately, it could lead to printers for touch-screen voting machines.

Anderson promised during last year's campaign to "ensure there is an auditable paper trail for all touch-screen voting machines."

Activists who helped him defeat former Elections Supervisor Theresa LePore have been growing increasingly restless waiting for action.

Now, six months after taking office, Anderson is finalizing membership of an Election Technology Advisory Committee. He's giving it six months and a broad mandate.

"I want this to be a truly objective and somewhat scholarly review," he said.

He's looking for consensus on whether to keep the electronic touch-screen voting machines or scrap them in favor of optical scan devices. The panel also will consider adding printers to the existing machines.

True to his word, Democrat Anderson is putting together a diverse panel. One of the 15 members is Mark Hoch, political director for the county Republican Party. He also asked LePore's predecessor, Jackie Winchester, to join.

Consensus could prove elusive for a group that also includes representatives of Sequoia Voting systems, which makes the touch-screen machines many activists hate, and the Palm Beach County Coalition for Election Reform, which wants to scrap the machines.

(Whatever the group decides won't necessarily hurt Sequoia. About a month ago, it asked the state to certify its voting-machine printers for use in Florida. If touch-screen machines are dumped, Sequoia also sells optical scan voting devices. Susan Van Houten, co-chairwoman of the reform coalition, thinks Sequoia has a conflict of interest and should only have an observer role.)

Anderson said he plans to keep some distance so as not to bias the panel's deliberations.

If the panel calls for dramatic change, such as scrapping the touch-screen machines, Anderson said that probably couldn't happen before the 2006 primary or general elections. He said printers probably could be added in time.

The pace is disappointing to some. At the last Democratic Executive Committee meeting, several party members complained, with many believing the election equipment issue got Anderson elected.

"Yeah, it was a grudge against Theresa [LePore], but ultimately it was about the paper trail. That is why we put him in," said Ellie Whittey. She briefly worked in LePore's office and ran for the office until ping out in favor of Anderson.

Van Houten said some in her group have been "frustrated by the slow movement. It could have been done quicker, but it's finally being done. I'm grateful for that."