State must OK McDonough voting change

Thursday, November 17, 2005

BY JODI POSPESCHIL    Peoria JOURNAL STAR
MACOMB - The voting future of McDonough County residents is in the hands of the State Board of Elections, local officials said Wednesday.

The county is moving at least part of its voting procedure from the traditional paper ballots to electronic machines, having received a $155,000 federal grant to help with the project.

The grant would pay for 31 electronic machines, with at least one needed for each of Macomb's 19 voting precincts. A traditional fill-in-the-oval paper ballot machine would still be in place at each of the precincts.

However, the State Board of Elections has not approved either of the two electronic machines the county is looking at. And as the deadline for printing ballots for the March primary looms, county officials are wondering what to do.

The grant money makes it possible for the county to transfer to at least partial electronic machines at no cost. But making the entire process electronic would cost the county about $500,000, County Board Chairman Bob Harwick said Wednesday.

County Board members have examined the two machines the county is considering. One is from Fidlar and the other is from Hart, companies that sell electronic voting machines.

A Fidlar machine on display Wednesday night features a touch-screen and a paper printout voters can examine before officially casting their ballots.

But County Clerk Florine Miller said there is a comfort level, "with the older generation particularly," in the paper ballot system.

Miller said the Fidlar system is compatible with the county's current software programs, but the Hart system is not. The county would have to buy Hart's system to read paper ballots or move to all electronic machines, both of which would mean more expense.

"There are so few choices, that's what's frustrating," Miller said. "We'll still have to have all of those rows of voting booths."

So the county is left to await a decision by the state board. Miller said the process of printing the ballots for the March primary will begin in January. Regardless of whether there is a state decision by then she said she still plans to print about 20,000 of the paper ballots at 33 cents each.

Miller said she will bring the issue to the County Board's finance committee next month.

"I want their ideas," she said. "Everyone has their own opinion about electronic products."