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Daily Camera: County one step closer to buying voting machines
http://www.bouldernews.com/bdc/county_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2423_2616699,00.html
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County one step closer to buying voting machines
Activist groups find actions hasty
By Laura Morsch, Camera Staff Writer
January 30, 2004
Boulder County is one step closer to buying a new voting
system, and some local groups are objecting.
Boulder County commissioners unanimously approved a motion
Thursday to allow the county clerk to negotiate a contract
with voting-machine vendor Hart InterCivic Inc.
An itemized pricing guide provided by the company showed
that the cost to the government could top $1 million.
Neil McClure, vice president of Hart's election solutions
group, gave a demonstration of the voting system, which
requires voters to mark paper ballots. The ballots are
later scanned into a computer.
McClure said the Hart computer has features that help flag
possible voter-intent problems, highlighting a ballot on a
screen if too many or too few boxes are marked.
"We very precisely look at every voter response area and
determine whether there is or is not a mark there," he
said.
County Clerk Linda Salas said the Hart system will save
time and money by allowing the county to under-print
ballots, because more paper ballots can quickly be printed
if a high voter turnout creates additional demand for
ballots.
But Al Kolwicz, executive director of Citizens for Accurate
Mail Ballot Election Results, said the decision to pursue
the Hart system came too hastily and without enough public
input.
Kolwicz said Salas and McClure dodged questions about the
Hart system's ability to address important absentee ballot
issues, including signature verification and detecting
multiple or misplaced ballots.
"They're being secretive because they don't have the
answers to the hard questions," Kolwicz said.
Under the federal Help America Vote Act, signed into law in
2002, punch-card systems like the one currently used by
Boulder County must be replaced by 2006.
The 2002 law also requires every precinct to have at least
one machine that would allow disabled people to vote
unassisted. Direct record electronic machines, which often
have touch screens, address that need, but no standards
exist yet for these types of machines.
Joe Pezzillo, spokesman for Citizens for Verifiable Voting,
said it's irresponsible to buy a system now that might not
be compatible with direct record electronic machines
purchased later.
"We think the undefined standards in and of itself is a
show-stopper," he said.
Pezzillo said he recommended waiting to buy a system, but
Salas said leasing a system was not cost-efficient because
the county could spend that money on a new system.
The commissioners said a public hearing would be held
before the contract with Hart is approved, though the
hearing probably would not occur for several months.
Contact Laura Morsch at (303) 473-1328 or
morschl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx