Commissioners choose touch screens for elections

By PAMELA BRUST    Parkersburg News and Sentinel   14 October 2005

PARKERSBURG - When Wood County voters go to the polls next year they will let their fingers do the talking, using touch screens instead of optical scan ballots.
Wood County commissioners voted Thursday to go with touch screen election equipment. The total cost will be $328,441 for 184 touch screens to be purchased. The state will provide another 57 touch screens. The county has to come up with half the cost, about $164,220, and can borrow the remaining half of the price tag from the state interest free over five years, with the program offered through the secretary of state's office to assist counties in complying with Help America Vote Act requirements.

A decision on which voting system the county wanted to use had to be made by this Saturday. Wood is one of 28 counties that used optical scan, 12 counties used punch cards including Kanawha, 10 used paper ballots, two used touch screens, and the remainder used the lever system.

Using HAVA federal funds, the state has agreed to provide each county with one touch screen voting device per precinct equipped with headphones for the visually impaired and illiterate. Wood County has 85 precincts. The state has also agreed to provide one Model 650 optical scan ballot counter to each county, if needed. The counties were permitted to negotiate costs if some of this equipment was not needed. Officials plan to sell the county's optical scan equipment to other areas that might still be using that system.

Wood County Clerk Jamie Six reinerated his opposition to a dual system, which would have included using the present optical scan equipment plus an additional tabulator along with the Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant touch screens provided by the state.

"I don't feel the dual system would have been fair to either the pollworkers, who would have to be trained on both systems, or the voters. It would have just added more confusion to the process," Six said.

"One of the advantages in going with the touch screens is that surrounding area counties are going to that system as well, so we can combine some of our educational efforts for the voting public, and we will have a uniform system throughout the area," Six said. The clerk said he's been in contact with a number of area counties and was informed Roane, Wirt, Pleasants, Ritchie, Tyler, Wetzel, Marion, Monongahelia, Preston, Wayne, Lincoln, Cabell, Mason and possibly Jackson county were leaning toward, or had already decided to go with touch screens.

"The dual system would have been the cheapest way for the county commission to go, but it would have been the most confusing. Touch screen was the next in line, as far as cost goes, it will be less expensive than the total optical scan system because of the additional equipment the county would have had to purchase for an optical scan ADA facilitating requirement. The big savings in years to come will be the printing of ballots. With the touch screens, we won't have that cost of ballot printing," Six said.

According to the county election budget, the ballots cost $121,976 back in 2004.

"The bottom line is it costs money for elections. We are concerned about not just saving money, but in making sure the voter's ballots are protected and the voter's ballot is counted properly and we can audit to make sure there was not tampering. With the paper trail on the touch screens, the audit trail will be available now," Six said. Originally, Six said the recommendation for the number of touch screens was one machine for every 250 voters, but it was changed to one for every 200.

"Let's split the difference to about 225, that will lower the number of machines we have to purchase, then if we find later we need more, we can always get them. I'm in favor of the touch screens," Commissioner Bob Tebay said.

Six said the prices obtained by the secretary of state's office are guaranted for a five year contract period.

"I agree, the touch screens make the most sense. My only concern is with the changes in technlogy somtimes you find yourself having to pay to have it d every two or three years, and I don't want to find us in that place. I want to be able to get the service for a period of time. But the touch screens are obviously the best option for us to go to," said Commissioner Rick Modesitt.

Six noted Election Systems & Software, the vendors who won the state contract told county officials at an earlier meeting they are obligated, by the state contract to make changes during the contract period to make sure the elections equipment is compliant with any federal and or state election law changes.

The plan also allows the county to have machines that can be used as back-up, if needed.

"As long as we stay on the cutting edge of technology and the safeguards are in place, we will make sure the voter's votes are counted correctly, and that's what is the most important. This system will also keep us from having overvotes where people overvote. It will not allow overvote. It warns the voter when they have done that," Six said.