Touchscreen voting machines raise concerns in area

By CINDY SWIRKO   The Gainsville Sun September 14. 2005
The purchase of controversial touchscreen voting machines that do not produce a paper record is raising concerns among residents and Alachua County commissioners, who said they were not fully informed about the machines when they approved the purchase.

Diebold TSX machines, which have been banned in California and elsewhere, have been bought by Alachua County Elections Supervisor Pam Carpenter to comply with laws to aid disabled voters.

The vast majority of voters will continue to use the current paper ballot system.

Among the critics of the paperless machines who spoke at Tuesday's commission meeting was Vincent Lipsio, an engineer who has served on various national panels regarding voting machines.

"I don't wish them upon the voters of Alachua County," Lipsio said. "I can say many things. One has to do with the whole matter of unauditable paperless voting - 25 states have made that illegal. Here in Florida, it is being pushed by the secretary of state but I don't think that is a good idea. It brings into question whether votes will be accurately counted."

Two other speakers concurred with Lipsio's comments. The primary issue with touchscreen voting is the lack of a paper ballot or documentation of the vote.

Critics also say the machines are susceptible to hacking and other forms of tampering.

Carpenter said the Diebold touchscreen system is the only one certified by the state that is compatible with the Diebold AccuVote system - which uses paper ballots - currently used here.

A system is needed to comply with federal and state laws to enable blind or sight-impaired voters to cast ballots without assistance.

Carpenter, who was not at the meeting, said a system had to be purchased by July 1 to meet the law.

A paper ballot system for blind and sight-impaired voters made by Election Systems & Software is in the certification process in Florida but it would not be compatible with Alachua County's AccuVote, Carpenter said.

"I totally understand the concerns because I think having a paper ballot is very important and that is why we have the AccuVote here," Carpenter said. "But currently the only technologies that are certified in Florida that are audibly enhanced are the touchscreen voting."

Voters using the TSX system use earphones to hear the ballot being read. They press designated spots on a keypad to vote. The system gives voters an opportunity to check their ballot and change it before submitting it to be counted.

The purchase was approved at the June 28 commission meeting. Commissioners and county staff said Tuesday Carpenter requested the item be put on the agenda after the deadline had passed.

"It came in after the deadline. It was requested by the supervisor of elections," County Manager Randy Reid said. "We typically don't try to judge or prejudge what a constitutional officer recommends. It was reviewed by staff and put on at her request because of the deadline."

It was placed on the consent agenda - which is typically reserved for routine matters that are not expected to generate any discussion.

Commissioner Mike Byerly said Tuesday he was concerned about the situation and acknowledged he was not as vigilant as he should have been in considering the purchase.

"I think we probably should be very concerned about this. For myself, I did not fully understand the implications of what we voted on that morning on our consent agenda, brought to us so late it wasn't even assigned a number," Byerly said. "Since then I've done a lot of homework to be brought up to speed. Most importantly, I've become aware that there are some issues here over which we have some control. There is a difference of opinion on whether we had to take the action that we took."

At least two other counties are holding out on buying a system until something else is available, Byerly said.

Jenny Nash is spokeswoman for the secretary of state's office, which includes the elections division. She said it appears Volusia and Leon counties have not yet bought a system. Counties that don't comply open themselves to litigation from the disabled and risk violation of the law and losing funding for the equipment.

Nash said the process of certifying systems is driven by the vendors.

So far, none have come up with a paper ballot system for sight-impaired voters.

"I'm certain that as time goes on and the different vendors develop different types of machines, they will submit them for certification," Nash said.

Most Alachua County voters will continue to use the current Diebold AccuVote optical scanning system in which voters mark paper ballots that are then fed into a machine that tallies them.

Carpenter added that sight-impaired and blind voters can continue to use AccuVote with assistance or can vote absentee.

A machine for each of the county's 78 precincts along with some extras have been bought. They cost $304,009, which was covered by a grant.

Commissioners want to meet with Carpenter to discuss the situation. It appears the earliest meeting she will be able to attend is Oct. 25.