Board seeks joint session with county

BY BEN HOGWOOD

Carteret County NEWS-TIMES    28 August 2005

BEAUFORT ? After weeks of tension and adversity, the County Board of Commissioners and Board of Elections will hold a joint meeting to resolve voting system issues in Carteret.

During an elections board meeting Wednesday, County Manager John Langdon again requested the board to support a demonstration of the county?s UniLect Patriot voting system to find out whether it is credible and worth upgrading for future elections.

This request came after Gary Bartlett, executive director of the State Board of Elections, wrote a letter to Mr. Langdon on Tuesday in which he said the state would not sponsor an examination of the machines.

In the letter, Mr. Bartlett referred to new legislation that requires all voting equipment in North Carolina to comply with new state and federal regulations. Vendors wishing to do business in the state will need to file a request for proposal. According to the legislation, the state will then evaluate the vendors? machines and determine whether they comply with the new regulations.

However, Mr. Langdon said the legislation also gives local elections boards the opportunity to prove to the state that equipment purchased prior to Aug. 1, 2005, meets those standards.

A local demonstration of the machines would help determine whether the county should consider upgrading the machines, or whether it needs to purchase a new system, according to the manager.

Jack Gerbel, president of UniLect, has told the county he will travel to the county, make sure all programming s have been made and participate in the demonstration free of charge.

Mr. Langdon told the board that the county could upgrade the current machines with new color monitors, make them handicap accessible and make them print out a paper copy of a voter?s ballot ? complying with all the state and federal mandates ? for about $668,500.

A brand new system from UniLect would cost around $1.4 million. The county will receive almost $440,000 from the state to help fund the new mandates.

"If that (test) works out well, I would ask everyone to consider the upgrade option," he said.

Bill Henderson, chairman of the local elections board, asked Mr. Langdon whether UniLect had filed a proposal to do business in the state. He added that if they did not, it would be pointless to test the equipment.

Mr. Langdon said the state has not yet advertised for proposals, as the legislation is still awaiting the governor?s signature, but UniLect absolutely intends on doing business in the state.

Mr. Langdon raised the question of whether UniLect will have to issue several proposals to the state, one for the new system and another for upgrades.

"That?s all something we need to know before we go forward," he said.

Whatever the board decides regarding new equipment, the county must have the new requirements in time for the primaries next year, he said.

Board member Harry Rivers said the county?s hands are tied regarding the voting system until the state has determined which vendors the state will work with in the future.

Mr. Langdon disagreed and said the county has invested half-a-million dollars in the current system and, considering the race for superintendent of public instruction is over (Legislators declared June Atkinson the winner this week of the November race), there is no reason why the machines cannot be tested. He said even if the board chooses not to use UniLect in the future, a test could still help determine the resale value of the system.

"The county isn?t going to run these off to the county landfill if they?re good," he said.

"You?re preaching to the choir," said Mr. Rivers, adding it was the state that was not on the same page as the county.

Board Member Sue Verdon asked Mr. Langdon if he thought it would be a good idea to invite Mr. Bartlett to the county to participate in a joint meeting between the board of commissioners and the board of elections. Mr. Langdon said that was an excellent idea, as communications between the two boards so far have been limited.

Chairman Henderson said this could be a gesture of good will toward the board of commissioners. The board voted unanimously in favor of organizing such a meeting.

During a public comment period, Donna Williamson, vice chairman of the County Republican Party, said she would like to see the board avail itself of testing the UniLect machines.

"There has to be resale value, and this will help determine that," she said.

In a telephone interview following the meeting, Board of Commissioners Chairman Lynda Clay commended Mrs. Verdon for making the motion.

"I think having the special meeting will be a good thing. We can get this resolved once and or all," she said.

In a following interview, Mr. Langdon said there might still be time to use the UniLect machines for the upcoming November elections, but he wouldn?t consider it a loss if they were not used. More importantly, the county needs to start preparing itself now for the mandates required by next May, he said.

"Some people are going to have to walk and chew gum at the same time," he said.

He restated the importance of a test, saying the county has to establish some level of confidence in the machines, one way or another.

"Our system has been trashed by innuendo," he said. "It has never been tested. We?ve got half-a-million dollar investment that?s been put on the sidelines because of innuendo and it bothers me."

Mr. Henderson later said the county will definitely use paper ballots in the upcoming election.

"That?s a done deal," he said.

He also doubted the rationale that a local demonstration of the machines would substantiate their value.

"There are things that would sell me on the machine much quicker than having 3,000 ballots cast on them," he said.

He said he would like to see a more certifiable examination of the machines and doubted a local demonstration would hold any weight with the state.

However, he said, "If the state says UniLect can continue to do business in North Carolina, then we need to see if our machine have any value to Carteret County citizens, not for a resale price."

Mr. Langdon said he was encouraged by the board?s meeting and is hopeful that as the county goes through the issues of upgrading or replacing the machines, the boards are in partnership and not opposed.

"I?m hoping to get some bipartisan action here," he said.

"If it?s UniLect, great. If it?s some other system ? then fine, let?s move on."

Mr. Bartlett could not be reached for comment on whether he would attend a meeting between the boards, despite multiple attempts to telephone the state director.

In related news, Mr. Langdon said the county will have to pay for all municipal elections in Carteret, except Atlantic Beach?s. Typically, municipalities reimburse the county for the elections, but because the county is holding a bond referendum in November, it must pay the expenses of all the elections that run at the same time. Atlantic Beach?s elections are in October, so the county will not have to fund it. If there is a runoff in November in that town, then the county will pay for that race because the referendum will also be on the ballot.