Punch card voting's days are numbered in Mo.
By Jo Mannies   St. Louis Post-Dispatch 08/08/2005

In just less than one year - next Aug. 8 - most Missouri voters will go to the polls and make a discovery:

No more punch cards. No more hanging chads.

In their place will be a variety of new voting systems, prompted by federal mandates that must be in place by next year's statewide primary. The result for Missouri, Illinois and most of the nation is the first major overhaul of the balloting process in more than 30 years.

Voters in Illinois will see the changes even sooner, when they cast ballots in their statewide primary in March.
For much of the region, the change hasn't been smooth. That's particularly true in Missouri, where many cash-strapped urban and suburban jurisdictions initially balked at ping punch cards. Although the federal Help America Vote Act doesn't require that the punch card system be eliminated, the various mandates make it difficult and costly to keep it.

As a result, the Illinois counties of Madison, St. Clair and Monroe, and Missouri's Jefferson County, already have switched to various versions of optical-scan voting systems. Voters use special markers on paper ballots that are then fed into a computer that scans and counts the votes.

With the federal Dec. 31 deadline nearing, most of the Missouri holdouts - with the possible exception of St. Louis County - appear ready to follow suit.

The enticements are federal aid to help pay for the costs and the threat of lawsuits against counties that ignore the new election rules.

Former St. Louis County elections director Paul DeGregorio is vice chairman of the federal Election Assistance Commission charged with overseeing and regulating the national transition.

As he's traveled the country, DeGregorio says he's impressed by states like Georgia, Kansas and California that have invested in new "top-of-the-line election equipment." But he's discouraged by others, notably New York state, where little has been done.

In the case of his home state, DeGregorio offered general praise but added, "we can do better in Missouri."

Perhaps with that in mind, state and local election officials will be particularly busy in the next few weeks:

St. Charles County plans to sign a contract to spend just over $1 million for new optical-scan equipment, which officials expect to have in use by the election in April.

St. Louis County is slated to hold two days of voting-equipment demonstrations on Aug. 26 and 27 at Florissant Valley and Meramec community colleges. Election officials and the public can see how different systems work.

In the city of St. Louis, where election officials are still smarting from the chaos at the polls in 2000 that led to a federal lawsuit, various voting systems are being examined this month. The Election Board plans to try out an optical-scan system in the Sept. 20 aldermanic recall election in the 24th Ward; a different one was tested in a June recall vote.

Meanwhile, Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan expects within weeks to formally request bids for the statewide purchase of federally mandated voting machines for each precinct that can be used by people with various physical handicaps. Federal money is to cover most of that cost. A statewide bid might generate lower per-machine prices, Carnahan's aides say.

The biggest overall task for Missouri and Illinois is the development of a statewide database of all the registered voters, that also must be in place by the 2006 primaries. The system must be "live," meaning that any changes - such as adding new voters and removing those who have died or moved - will show up on the statewide rolls almost immediately.

Setting up that system is forcing some counties to replace their own computer equipment, so that it meshes with their state's new setup.

The changes come amidst a new report, compiled by the American Center for Voting Rights, that singles out the region as one of the nation's top five "hot spots" for past and potential vote fraud.

The report cites the recent convictions of five East St. Louis residents on vote fraud charges, and last winter's trial in St. Louis that led to a conviction in the case involving thousands of fraudulent voter registration cards turned in before the 2001 mayoral primary. The report also noted the controversies surrounding last year's regional voter-registration drives by Democrat-leaning groups.

Critics contend that the center's findings are biased, because most of its leaders are Republican activists - including St. Louis lawyer Thor Hearne. But Hearne says that even if the report's rhetoric seems partisan, the facts make clear the importance of monitoring the nation's voting process and any changes to it.

"Second chance" voting

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay has been particularly active in revamping the city's elections, to avoid a replay of the 2000 mess. DeGregorio noted that St. Louis' problems helped lead to the federal Help America Vote Act.

Since that federal law was passed in 2002, Missouri's secretaries of state - whether Republican Matt Blunt or Democrat Robin Carnahan - have been pressing election officials to the punch cards.

The chief reason: As of next year, voters must have a "second chance" to review and revise their ballots. That's difficult with punch cards, and requires special "reading" equipment that can't be purchased with federal money. Chicago has acquired such second-chance equipment.

But in downstate Illinois and most of Missouri, punch card ballots are disappearing. As of Friday, according to the Missouri secretary of state's office, only 14 Missouri counties - out of 116 election jurisdictions - still use punch card ballots. In November 2000, 43 Missouri counties voted with punch cards. No figures were available for Illinois.

Missouri's 14 punch card holdouts have included the three largest cities - Kansas City, Springfield and St. Louis - and most of their suburbs. But in recent months, several of them, notably St. Charles County and Springfield's Greene County, have begun signing contracts for new optical-scan systems.

Optical or touch?

Optical-scan is popular because voters seem more amenable to using a paper ballot. Optical-scan usually is much cheaper than the touch-screen systems, which are similar to bank ATMs and generally haven't involved a paper ballot. The lack of a paper trail has prompted allegations in some states about rigged touch-screen machines, and led to some states' retrofitting such devices so they can produce a backup paper ballot.

Still, most area voters also will see touch screens in their polling places next year, because that system is favored to comply with the federal law requiring that at least one machine be equipped for disabled voters, including those who are blind or deaf.

St. Charles County elections director Rich Chrismer is grappling with the finances of setting up such a dual system. Federal aid won't quite cover half the cost, forcing the county to come up with roughly $600,000 to pay for the rest.

In the city of St. Louis, $1.5 million in federal money will be available. The city's share will depend on the system ed. Election Board chairman Ed Martin may even try out an optical-scan system during the citywide election Nov. 8.

St. Louis County, Missouri's largest election jurisdiction, is just now confronting the voting-system issue. New Election Board chairman John Diehl is leading the effort for a possible change.

DeGregorio is particularly concerned about the county, where he fears many officials in both parties haven't grasped the gravity of the federal mandates. Congress does not appear to be willing to extend the Dec. 31 deadline, he said.

"I'm not sure that the county officials have understood the implications of not being in compliance," DeGregorio said. "They could be sued. The Justice Department sued the city of St. Louis.