Island County approves upgraded voting machines

Everett  Herald    21 July 2005

COUPEVILLE - Island County voters face one more election season using punch-card ballots.

On Wednesday, county commissioners approved the purchase of a new optical scan ballot-counting system and a dozen electronic-voting machines to serve voters with disabilities.

The equipment will be in place in 2006, but that will be too late for this year's elections.

The new machines will cost $276,659 and be paid for with federal funds received through the Help America Vote Act, Island County Auditor Suzanne Sinclair said. The equipment will be provided by Hart Intercivic.

Sinclair said that in accordance with federal law, a voting machine for disabled people will be available at each of Island County's 12 polling places. Nondisabled voters will mark ballots that will be collected at polling places and brought to one central counting location in Coupeville.

Island County, like Snohomish County, is not switching to voting entirely by mail ballots. Sinclair said she likes going to the polls and did not recommend that commissioners consider the change.