Commissioners don't yet agree on voting machines

Matthew Thompson   Charleston Daily Mail     August 30, 2005

Kanawha County Commissioners Dave Hardy and Hoppy Shores have not decided whether to accept the free optical-scan voting machines offered by the Secretary of State's office or to pay half the cost of touch-screen machines.

Commission President Kent Carper has decided to back the optical scan machines because he believes it's the best system to provide a paper trail.

"I think the easiest transition will be if we choose optical," Carper said.

"The number one issue is voter confidence, and I believe optical-scan is the number one, pre-eminent paper trail system."

Commissioners are facing a big choice affecting both voter confidence and taxpayers' wallets.

The federal government has given the state about $19 million so that the 55 counties can be compliant with the Help America Vote Act. The Act declares that all states must eliminate punch card or lever voting machines by Jan. 1, 2006, to receive future federal funding.

Here's how the spending breaks down.

Touch-screen.

According to preliminary data from the Secretary of State's office, each touch-screen voting system costs about $4,000. Kanawha would need 665 touch-screen machines, which would cost about $2.6 million, said County Clerk Vera McCormick.

With the state picking up half the bill, the cost to local taxpayers would be roughly $1.3 million.

Optical-scan

This system would cost $200 per machine, which would be roughly $133,000. Plus, a central counter must be purchased at an estimated cost of $45,000. Because Kanawha has the most voters in the state 132,000 - the Secretary of State would provide two machines, doubling the cost to $90,000.

All of that would be free to Kanawha taxpayers.

These costs, though, are early figures. The final costs for each machine will be available when the state Purchasing Division reveals the request for proposals in early September.

Hardy said he still wants to see the final costs of all machines before making a decision.

"That's the only thing missing from the picture," Hardy said. "For a county our size, going to touch-screen might merit some extra funding."

Shores said the matter is thoroughly confusing for him, so he's trying to keep an open mind. Even though there are free machines being offered, Shores want to make sure that optical scan can maintain voter integrity.

"It's a decision we have to live with for a few years," Shores said. "We have to make sure we protect our count and get a true and accurate vote."

A special meeting is scheduled for Sept. 15, to decide which will be the county's next voting machines.

Officials from West Virginia's 55 counties must make the decision on new voting machines by Oct. 1 according to guidelines established by Secretary of State Betty Ireland.

After the Help America Vote Act was established in 2002, Congress asked the Secretary of State's offices in all 50 states to be in charge of distributing the federal funds.

Ben Beakes, chief of staff for the Secretary of State's office, said Ireland chose the free optical scan plan because it would be cost effective and make the machines more universal throughout the state.

About 28 counties in the state currently have optical-scan voting machines.

"We cannot afford to put electronic machines in every county," Beakes said. "Plus if 50 counties became optical scan, it would give us greater bargaining power for ballot costs in future elections."