Montgomery and Other Counties May Not be Ready For Voters
WSFA News    Aug 21, 2005

There's an election battle brewing in Alabama and it has nothing to do with the candidates. A deadline is looming for the entire state to change its voting system. Dozens of counties may not be ready when the next election rolls around in June. Those are the fears of probate judges across the state who are now trying to get an extension. Why won't we meet the deadline and who's responsible?

While voters are waiting to cast their ballots little do they know what's been going on behind the scenes in the election offices. Probate Judge Sherrie Phillips who is president of the Probate Judges Association says "It's very frustrating." The frustration she and other probate judges say they feel is over new voting equipment they should be using for the upcoming primary next June. Phillips says "We're not ready because the system that the majority of the state is using is not ready. It's not compliant."

After all the controversy over Florida's hanging chads Congress passed laws requiring all states to have a paper trail for each voting machine at each precinct by January 1st 2006. Three counties don't have a paper trail at all - Montgomery, Mobile and Dekalb. There are 9 other counties that have a paper trail once the machines get to the courthouse, but not at the precincts. And, 51 other counties don't have a clue yet if their equipment will have to be changed. Alabama's had three years to meet the deadline. Now, with only four months left, there don't seem to be any quick answers. Secretary of State Nancy Worley explains why. "Certainly there's still a delay in certifying voting equipment in the state because we're deadlocked in a two to two vote."

All electronic voting machines in the state must be first certified by a committee of 5. So far, that committee's deadlocked on what the standards should be. State Senator Jeff Enfinger from Huntsville would cast the tie-breaking vote, but he hasn't attended a meeting all year. But,  Phillips says the probate judges are pointing a finger at the Secretary of State. "She's the chief election official for the state of Alabama. She has some responsibility..to try to get this all worked out."

The probate judges sent a resolution to elected officials asking for an extension. Phillips believes "If they say they will not help us, then we will go forward and hope and pray that the elections in Alabama run smoothly." Worley says "If  I could wave a magic wand I would say it would be great if we could have one more year, but we don't have one more year according to the law. So, I'm simply saying we all have to pull together and work together and make sure this works."

State Senator Jeff Enfinger told WSFA 12 News it didn't seem like the voting machine committee needed his attention. He says he plans to be at the next meeting at the end of August. Right now, there are only four counties that have voting machines that are in compliance. Among them Bullock and Wilcox counties.