August 14, 2006

"New voting machines questioned"

"While the November election marks the first time all counties in California will be in compliance with the federal Help America Vote Act, county elections officials are frustrated with the disabled access component of the law.

Even though state and federal officials allocated millions of dollars to reimburse counties for the cost of new voting machines, some county registrars argue they'll be outdated in a few years, leaving local governments with antiquated systems, millions of dollars in maintenance and replacement costs -- and frustrated voters.

"It's a disaster," said Freddie Oakley, Yolo County registrar. "We're sinking millions, nationwide billions, of dollars into technology that is not ready for the marketplace and that will be obsolete even earlier.

"We are all purchasing gold-plated shovels with rope handles. They look great, but they're not going to do the job for long."

The Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires that counties nationwide replace punch-card systems -- the ones blamed for the problems during the 2000 presidential election -- and that access to voting be improved for disabled voters at every polling location.

In California, new voting systems also must provide a paper trail for verification purposes and cannot use wireless components, shrinking the pool of machines from which counties can choose.

Jan Garrett, executive director of the Center for Independent Living serving Berkeley and Oakland, said current law should be "considered the floor, not the ceiling" when it comes to providing access for disabled voters, regardless of cost.

"That's always the sort of the argument that comes up about providing access -- that it costs too much," Garrett said. "How do you weigh the cost against the ability of those with disabilities being able to participate in the political process? That's more important than the cost."

Yolo and Placer are among Northern California counties rolling out their new disabled-access units in November.

Yolo County will have an audio-based system that will navigate voters through the ballot using a keyboard device. That system cost $900,000 for 114 machines.

In Placer County, disabled voters can use touch-screen systems with audio availability to mark their ballots. Those systems, 310 in all, cost $1.7 million."

Posted by Randy Riddle at August 14, 2006 08:55 AM