Jaeger says all ND voting locations will have new machines next year

DALE WETZEL   Associated Press   12 October 2005

BISMARCK, N.D. - Each North Dakota polling location will have voting machines designed for use by people with disabilities, beginning with the June 2006 primary, Secretary of State Al Jaeger said.

Speaking at a meeting of county auditors and election workers, Jaeger said the state has satisfied the mandates of a federal election law that sought to improve voter access. The deadline for complying with the Help America Vote Act, or HAVA, is Jan. 1.

"We're going to be in good shape, and it's because of everybody working together and planning ahead," Jaeger said.

The federal law has provided $17 million to North Dakota for new voting equipment, training and advertising directed at voters.

A large chunk of the money has been spent on voting machines - scanners capable of reading hand-marked ballots, and a second machine, called AutoMark, that is designed to be used by people with vision difficulties, hearing problems or other disabilities. Both are manufactured by Election Systems & Software Inc. of Omaha, Neb.

North Dakota has about 575 voting locations, said Jim Silrum, the deputy secretary of state. For the June primary and subsequent elections, each will be equipped with at least one scanner and AutoMark device. Jaeger said the machines cost about $5,000 each.

The AutoMark machine is designed to help someone with disabilities to vote without assistance from anyone else. It uses a voter's directions to mark a ballot, which is then read by the scanner. The ballot has ovals that are darkened to indicate a voter's choice.

The scanners offer voters another chance to mark their ballots if they detect mistakes, such as voting for too many candidates, or voting for both Democratic and Republican candidates in a primary election.

Jaeger said the machines provide paper evidence of a voter's intentions. Other machines register votes electronically, but do not have a paper trail, the secretary of state said.

Kevin Glatt, the Burleigh County auditor, said he prefers having a paper record of votes.

"It gives each voter something that they can touch and feel, and take ownership in. It's something that they have in their hands. It's something that everybody is comfortable with," Glatt said. "It's no different than the census, or standardized (school) tests."

Twenty-eight of North Dakota's 53 counties used ballot scanners in the 2004 elections. Starting with next year's elections, all 53 counties will have both the ballot scanners and AutoMark machines.

Michial Johnson, the LaMoure County auditor, said he believed the technology would be welcomed in jurisdictions where voters haven't seen it before.

"In this age, I think just about everybody has their computer at home," Johnson said. "They're more receptive to change, and they're more receptive to new technology."