Flagler tests new voting machines

By AARON LONDON    Volusia/Flagler News-Journal   August 27, 2005

BUNNELL The future is now for touch-screen voting in Flagler County.

When early voting begins Monday in the Palm Coast City Council primary, voters may choose to file an optical scan ballot or use one of the county's new touch-screen voting machines.

Supervisor of Elections Peggy Rae Border ran a mandatory test of the county's voting equipment Friday and found no problems with the 10 Diebold touch-screen machines. However, one of the county's Accuvote optical scanners failed the test and will be replaced.

"We do this before every election," Border said. "It's just an ordinary thing we are required by law to do."

But given the controversy surrounding the use of touch-screen machines, it was no ordinary test. While few Flagler voters or officials have objected, Volusia County officials have refused to pay for the purchase of the machines because they do not use paper ballots. Advocates for blind voters continue to fight for machines that are accessible to disabled people, and, so far, only touch-screens have been approved by the state.

Observers from the Florida Fair Elections Coalition, a group opposed to touch-screen voting machines, were on hand to watch Friday's test.

Palm Coast resident Deborah Susswein, a coalition member, said she wasn't surprised that more people aren't concerned by the use of touch-screen machines.

"I think I'm more frustrated than angry," she said. "People just don't want to be involved. People don't realize the enormity of this, the importance of this or how significant it is in their lives."

Susan Pynchon, also a coalition member, said it is a matter of educating voters about touch-screen machines.

"As people become more educated and informed about the subject, they become involved," she said.

Susswein and Pynchon said the coalition shares concerns about the lack of paper ballots and educates voters about the way some touch-screen machines are certified.

"There's no one regulating the voting machine companies," Pynchon said. "Our democracy is really in the laps of these people."

For her part, Border said she is confident the new machines will pose no problems for county voters.

"We test and test and test," she said. "That's what we do. I feel very good about the machines. We've been training for several weeks, and we still have more training."

Border said that while only 10 machines needed to be tested Friday, she decided to test 10 optical scan machines and 10 touch-screen machines.

"We're just doing overkill this time to make sure we're covered," she said.