Carbon may balk at buying machines
Commissioners want grant money first to comply with voting act.

By Bob Laylo     The Morning Call    02 September 2005

Carbon County commissioners are threatening to join Monroe County and refuse to buy new electronic voting machines as required under federal law.

County Election Director Kenneth Leffler told commissioners at their meeting Thursday the lever machines the county uses have 15 to 20 years left.

Leffler said the only breakable part is a cable used to draw curtains that costs $35 to replace.

''Why would you get rid of a system that you can keep 15 to 20 years for something that happened in Florida on a different system?'' Leffler said.

Problems with punch card ballots in Florida during the 2000 presidential election led federal lawmakers to write the Help America Vote Act, which forces counties to buy new voting machines.

''Maybe we shouldn't do it,'' Commissioner Chairman William O'Gurek said.

''Maybe we should join Monroe County,'' Commissioner Wayne Nothstein said.

Monroe County refused to budget the $600,000 it would have to pay to contribute to comply with the act, and officials said they will not replace their lever machines with electronic machines.

Monroe commissioners did not return phone calls seeking comment Thursday.

Leffler said the U.S. Justice Department could sue counties that don't comply. And Brian McDonald, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of State said use of the lever machines will not comply with the law.

The law requires counties to have the machines by Jan. 1.

But O'Gurek said the county will not move forward with buying machines until it has grant money in hand.

''They cannot expect the people of this county to foot the bill for the new machines,'' he said.

The act provided $3.2 billion in federal money among the 50 states to improve voters' access and ballot accuracy. Pennsylvania got $53 million to share among its 66 counties.

Carbon County is seeking $8,000 for each of its 47 precincts, or $376,000.

McDonald said the State Department will not release grant money until a county shows it a contract or other proof it will buy a new voting system.

''We'll get them the money when the order is ready to go,'' he said.

The commissioners and Leffler also complained about the slow pace of the state certifying machines to buy. It's certified only one machine, and Leffler said Carbon isn't interested in that system.

''It's not the one we have been focusing on,'' he said.

McDonald said the state has inspected machines from another six companies, and expects to decide within a few weeks whether they can be used. He also said the state is inspecting one system Sept. 14 and another Sept. 19.

The commissioners complained that it's getting late to buy a new system and implement it.

''We are running out of time,'' Nothstein said.

Leffler said poll workers will have to be trained and he has to find a climate-controlled building to store the machines. He also said he wants to take the new machines to senior centers throughout the county and demonstrate them.

Summit Hill resident Steve Redash told commissioners the electronic machines may intimidate some senior citizens.

''Senior citizens will be so upset they won't come out to vote,'' he said.