Vote counting machines choke

["Some Guy" <someguy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sure - the computer scanners crap out and the officials blame the voters -
nice try Boulder -- sg
<><><><>
Vote counting machines choke
Improperly marked ballots caused failure in test

By Associated Press
October 29, 2004

BOULDER - Machines Boulder County uses to count votes bogged down in a
recent test, choking on improperly marked ballots and prompting a three-day
review to determine the final result.

The optical-scan machines, which tally votes on hand-marked ballots, counted
properly marked sample ballots correctly, Boulder County elections manager
Tom Halicki said.

But discrepancies caused by improper markings on sample ballots forced hours
of review to determine what went wrong.

"It all had to do with nonuniform vote marking," Halicki said.

State law requires counties to perform tests of ballot-counting equipment.
The first test must be completed within 10 days before the election. Two
more tests are required on Election Day before real ballots are counted.

Boulder County's first test, which started last week, used decks of 25
sample ballots marked by a bipartisan team. If the results of the scan do
not match the expected results, election officials try to determine the
source of the discrepancy.

Blank ballots and ballots that contain too many or too few votes are not
counted. A bipartisan team examines them to determine the voter's intent,
and that vote is added into the official tally.

Boulder County's system requires voters to fill in boxes on their ballot
with a blue or black mark. Under state election rules, a ballot that does
not have a mark inside the box is considered blank and is not counted.

But the scanners are sensitive, and will count any marks inside the boxes,
the tests showed. For example, a check mark whose tail extends into a
separate box will be seen by the machine as two votes in one race. The
machine will kick out the ballot for judges to resolve.

Halicki said a tiny dot on the line of a box on one of the sample ballots
was being read by some of the eight scanners in the test and not others. It
took hours to discover the dot, he said.

The machines performed exactly as they should, consistently counting
properly marked ballots, said Linda Herod, project manager for machine
manufacturer Hart InterCivic.

"If you want your vote to count properly, mark it properly," she said.