Lee officials ask for delay on machines

8/2/2005  

BY LEESHA FAULKNER   Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

TUPELO - Lee County supervisors want until October to decide whether to get Diebold touch-screen voting machines under Secretary of State Eric Clark's no-cost plan.

Supervisors decided Monday during their meeting to write a letter to Clark, asking for the time extension.

That's pushing the deadline, said David Blount, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office. Under the new federal Help America Vote Act, states have until Jan. 1 to begin using federally approved voting machines.

Under Clark's plan, counties had until Aug. 16 to make their decisions. An administrative rule has passed that will extend the deadline until Aug. 19. Blount said he didn't know the answer to the Lee supervisors' request.

"I'm sure we will look at it and get back to them."

Counties that decide not to go with the Diebold machines must pay thousands of dollars for new machines, if they don't already have approved equipment. Counties that join Clark will receive the Diebold touch-screen machines at no cost.

A memorandum from Jay Eads, assistant secretary of state in charge of elections, indicated that if Lee County opts out, it will pay $351,000.

In deciding to ask for the extension, supervisors had various concerns. Tommie Lee Ivy of District 4 worried that changes in methods of voting would scare away voters.

"When you change the machines," he said, "you're going to have a problem."

Bobby Smith of District 2 mentioned the bottom line: the cost of each individual machine. Supervisors haven't had enough time to evaluate Clark's offer and the viability of the machines, he said, "We have to think about every person."