Onslow tries electronic voting
October 20,2005
BY JOE MILLER    Jacksonville Daily News 

Onslow County elections officials aren't letting last year's voting glitch in Carteret County deter them from electronic voting.

On Wednesday, the Onslow elections board showed off and tested new equipment the county will use for the Nov. 8 general election. The voting machines, provided by Hart Intercivic of Austin, Texas, are known as eSlate machines.

To use them, voters type in a four digit code by spinning a wheel on the machine. Once the code is entered, voters then can choose various candidates.

"You just turn the little wheel clockwise to go through the ballot," said Rose Whitehurst, director of the Onslow County Board of Elections.

After a voter makes his or her choices, the machine provides a summary page confirming how he or she voted. Votes can be changed before they are finalized.

There also is a special voting machine for disabled people. It's equipped with Braille for the blind, headphones and recorded directions for the hearing impaired and even a connection that allows people to vote with their feet.

The eSlate system automates the balloting and tabulation process, which the company claims eliminates the need to work with multiple paper ballots. The machines also provide central, regional and precinct tabulation as well as complete reporting and auditing.

Jacksonville City Councilman Turner Blount, who is seeking re-election, came by to check out the new eSlate machine.

"I think it's a quick way to vote and get in and get out," he said. "I think it will be real easy once you go through the process."

The machines typically cost between $2,500 and $3,000 each, a company official said.

The county didn't have to buy the machines for this election. If they decide to buy them for future elections, Whitehurst said, the county has some federal grant money that will help pay for it.

Carteret County is using paper ballots this election year after more than 4,000 ballots were lost last year. Paper ballots are being used there until new state guidelines on voting equipment are in place.

Whitehurst said Onslow County doesn't plan to use a backup paper trail because it is not required this year - and she is confident the equipment will work. She said Hart claims they have never lost a vote.

"(The machine) will hold up to 9,999 votes," she said. "We never had anybody vote that many on one machine ever."

Whitehurst said at least two of the machines will be in each of the 23 precincts. The machines also will be used for one-stop early voting, which begins at 8 a.m. today at the Jacksonville Commons Recreation Center at 100 Recreation Lane.