Voting machines obsolete

New N.C. law means Catawba, Burke counties must replace their costly equipment

HANNAH MITCHELL    Charlotte Observer    16 November 2005

At least two counties in the Catawba Valley will have to buy new voting machines in time for the 2006 elections, although they bought new machines just a few years ago.

A new N.C. law requires counties across the state to make equipment changes so their voting machines will produce a paper copy of each ballot cast.

Machines used next year must also meet 2002 federal standards, ruling out much of the equipment across the state, N.C. elections officials say.

"Most voting equipment in North Carolina is either 1990 or older," said N.C. Elections Director Gary Bartlett, "so you'll probably be seeing changes statewide instead of a few."

Some counties may be able to get their machines upgraded, but others, including Burke and Catawba, will have to buy new equipment. Neither county has machines that provide a state-approved paper trail.

In 2003, Catawba spent $1.4 million for electronic voting machines to replace 10-year-old equipment that scanned paper ballots. Burke spent $579,449 for its machines in 2000.

Alexander and Caldwell counties' machines provide a paper trail, but elections officials in those counties weren't sure whether they would meet d standards.

Under the new law, the state will control a centralized bidding process for voting equipment, which will be purchased by counties, and if counties have problems with their machines, they will let state officials handle them.

Catawba's voting machine vendor, Hart InterCivic, and Burke's, UniLect, did not submit bids to North Carolina under the new process, Bartlett said.

State grant money is available for counties to replace or retrofit machines, ranging from $65,000 in Terrell County to $2.6 million in Mecklenburg County. If the grants do not cover counties' costs, the counties must absorb the difference, Bartlett said.

The state must certify machine vendors to ensure their equipment complies with state and federal laws. Contracts will be good for up to three years. Bartlett said the state hopes to complete this process in December, after which counties can buy machines.

Voters have questioned the integrity of voting equipment since Florida's 2000 election problems. Last year, North Carolina had its own problems, including nearly 4,500 votes lost in Carteret County.

Some machines made obsolete under the new state law will not be marketable in the United States, Bartlett said.

"This may sound silly, but I hope some of these voting jurisdictions will donate voting equipment to museums, so that part of our history can be captured for those in the future.

"We've had a problem in North Carolina for a long time with aged voting equipment, and this legislation addressed that problem."