February 15, 2006

"Get set to vote by mail"

"County voters might mail in their ballots for June's primary election if a resolution before the county Board of Supervisors today finds favor in Sacramento.

The board will vote on supporting clerks and election officials statewide who are asking the Legislature to let voters cast ballots by mail. The request comes as the state and nation grapple with the 2002 federal Help America Vote Act, which was passed in the wake of the Florida "hanging chad" recount in the controversial 2000 presidential election.

Under the Help America Vote Act, every voter — including those with disabilities — must be able to vote on their own and in private. The current system of filling in rectangles on a piece of paper is difficult for those who can't hold a pencil, are blind or can't read English, for example.

New touch-screen voting machines would help solve those problems, said county Clerk Gail Pellerin.

Under the act, the machines must be ready by the June 6 primary. But only one system has been approved by state and federal standards for a California federal election, and it has yet to be certified by the secretary of state.

As election officials nationwide clamor for the machines, it's also hard for providers to keep up with demand, Pellerin said.

That leaves many wondering how they can have all the needed touch-screen voting machines in place on time.

Advertisement

The back-up alternative? An all-mail election."

Posted by Randy Riddle at February 15, 2006 01:42 PM