Election systems wait for printers

Officials likely to grant support of voting machines

By Tim Hearden, Record Searchlight
October 21, 2005

North state election officials are still waiting for certification of printers for touch-screen voting machines that are required for the June 2006 election.

Shasta and Tehama counties use the Sequoia Voting Systems' Edge 1 machine, whose printer must be approved by the state and federal governments.  
Federal authorities are expected to certify the VeriVote printers in December, after which the state will review them, said Bev Ross, Tehama County's assistant clerk- recorder.

The two counties will do without the printers for the Nov. 8 special election.

Counties expect to use federal Help America Vote Act funding and state money from Proposition 41 to purchase the printers, which were mandated after questions arose as to whether votes on touch-screen machines could be independently verified.

But Siskiyou County Clerk Colleen Baker said the funding won't cover training or maintenance of the equipment. She also complained of the staffing requirements for operating two systems; Siskiyou will offer touch screens for disabled voters only, while using optical-scan ballots for everyone else.

"This is going to increase our annual budget," Baker said. "I'm concerned about the fact that we're going to have two voting systems in our county, which is going to double our work, but I'm not receiving anything to increase my staffing levels.

"At some point, staffing levels need to be addressed," she said.

Beginning next year, counties must allow voters to verify ballot choices and allow the disabled to vote unassisted. The Edge 1 lets voters double-check their ions before casting a ballot electronically.

State law requires all counties with touch-screen voting systems 14 of the 58 to offer voters this option starting with the June primary.

The machines also must begin printing out hard-copy proofs of votes. Some counties, including San Bernardino County, have printers that already have been certified and are using them for the Nov. 8 special election.

"This is the perfect opportunity for us to introduce these printers to voters. It gives us an opportunity to find out if there are any problems with the units and start to make voters familiar with how they work," said Kari Verjil, registrar of voters for San Bernardino County. "And if we have the units, why wait for the June primary? Let's roll them out."

Though Shasta County is still waiting for certification of its printer, County Clerk Cathy Darling isn't concerned.

"We will certainly have them for use in the primary in June of next year," she said.