Voting machine demo draws county supervisors

8/8/2005 10:52:25 PM
Daily Journal

BY JENNIFER FARISH    Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Oxford Bureau

OXFORD - A demonstration of voting machines that can be purchased as an alternative to the state option drew representatives from several counties to Oxford Monday.

Liability issues emerged as the major concern for some supervisors over opting out of the state option that will provide Diebold voting machines for counties.

The changes are being made to ensure the state complies with the federal Help America Vote Act which goes into effect in Jan. 2006.

"Liability is a big concern to me a supervisor," said Lafayette County Board of Supervisors President Johnny Morgan.

"What's your position going to be if we get sued because of your machine?" he asked.

Evans said he was not sure of the company's policy on liability but did assure counties that the machines would be verified as meeting HAVA standards.

ES&S is offering a price of $9,000 per precinct which would include a touch-screen voting machine as well as a machine for the visually impaired. A separate scanner would be used to count ballots and would immediately reject ballots that cannot be read, allowing voters to vote a second time.

Representatives from Calhoun, Yalobusha, Desoto and Lee counties attended Monday's demonstration of the alternative machines.

Lafayette County administrator Richard Copp said supervisors expect to decide on Monday whether to go with the state option or not.

As of 4 p.m. Monday, 27 counties had chosen the state option and no counties had indicated they were not taking the option, said Lafayette County attorney David O'Donnell.

The state has set a deadline of Aug. 19 for a decision, but at least some counties feel more time is needed to examine the options.

Lee County administrator Ronnie Bell urged other counties in attendance to ask the Secretary of State for more time.

"Ask for another 30 days to look at this," he said.