Then there were three
Luzerne committee narrows voting machine choices
 By PAUL KRUPSKI
The Standard-Speaker

USA - WILKES-BARRE - The committee charged with recommending new voting machines for use in Luzerne County in 2006 narrowed its choices Friday to three models, a small touch-screen machine and two full-faced-lever models in the style of the county's current machines.Members of Luzerne County's Electronic Voting Machine Committee agreed to meet Oct. 7 to finalize its recommendation.

The three finalists are the WINvote touch screen system and the Sequoia and Dancher full-face machines.

Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla said the committee could choose to recommend one or all three machines to the county commissioners.

Election Bureau Director Len Piazza said, "I think the commissioners would like to have a choice."

Piazza said he is pleased "there is a touch-screen and full-face (models) in there."

He said he expected the three models to make the certification list to be issued before the end of September by the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

"If not all, two," the director stated.

Piazza also said Republican Commissioner Steve Urban would like the committee's recommendation to include a rough cost analysis that would show the difference between full face and touch screen and "pin down the election costs with a particular system."

The committee is looking at a budget of $3 million in Help America Vote Act grants, of which $1.8 million would be applied to the purchase of the new machines and the remainder used for training and ancillary equipment. The county would have to pay any additional costs.

The consensus during roundtable discussion of things committee members saw at the vendors' exposition July 18 favored a full-face machine because of its ballot similarity to the lever machines now in use.

Petrilla, Robert Caruso, Anthony Brooks and Doris Merrill discussed the reaction they received from voters and their own impressions. Kevin Greenburg was unable to attend.

WINvote is a small, compact, tabletop machine priced at $2,995. It is in use in three states.

The Sequoia and Dancher systems are similar and replicate the ballot county voters now use. Sequoia is used in Montgomery County. Philadelphia and Berks and Dauphin counties use Dancher.

Petrilla said, "The Philadelphia people are very satisfied with the machine."

The committee said Dancher and Sequoia are established companies with over a century of experience and two years of proven voting technology.

Roberts, who is 81 and uses a mobile wheelchair said, "The older generation loved it [Sequoia]. I did like having every office in front of you at once. The price [$7,500] is the only reason I have reservations about it."

She said the Paralyzed Veterans of America and United Spinal Association recommend it.

Petrilla said she gave a lot of thought to write-in voting. She said Dancher "appears to be a little difficult and similar to what we have now. Sequoia is user-friendly but very expensive. I did like its write-in."

Caruso said Sequoia would be an easy transition because voters would "press a button instead of pulling a lever." He said Sequoia was superior "in the write-in area because it has a keyboard, a feature that separates it from Dancher."

Petrilla said she liked the fact WINvote is a Pennsylvania-based machine and would be easy to store.

She said, "It's a very good machine. People found it easy to use."

Caruso said he thought WINvote is "the best of the touch screen pagination models" but didn't think "touch is for us" because it was "important for each voter to see the same ballot."

Brooks said WINvote was "similar to a machine I voted on in Florida." I don't remember any complaints or negativity about it."

Although Greenburg couldn't attend, Petrilla said he told her he favored a full-face machine. She said Greenburg liked Dancher but his choice was Sequoia. He also likes WINvote, she said.

Petrilla said she would contact officials in Bergen, N.J., which uses Sequoia, for input and would get the names of counties in Virginia to poll user sentiment.

The committee ruled out machines offered by Diebold, Unysis, Election Systems & Software and Hart.