September 27, 2006

Bill would cover voting glitches

"The federal government would reimburse local governments the cost of providing voters with paper ballots if electronic voting machines fail on Election Day under a bill introduced Tuesday by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

The bill is meant to restore voter confidence following several instances of human and technological error involving electronic voting machines, now used in 32 states. Some 40 percent of voters are expected to cast ballots electronically on Nov. 7, including residents of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

"This is not a job for us to dictate, but it is our job to oversee and make sure every vote is counted in a federal election," said Boxer, who expressed her own doubts about touch-screen voting machines. "I would rather, personally, fill out a paper ballot than use a touch screen unless I had a paper trail that I saw was taken from me and put in a secure box. If I had that I would feel comfortable. Without it, I would ask for a paper ballot."

Under the bill, the government would pay each jurisdiction that conducts a general election on Nov. 7 and uses electronic voting machines for the costs of preparing and using paper ballots.

The reimbursement amount would be capped at 75 cents per ballot and could cost about $10 million nationwide, Boxer said.

To receive the reimbursement, the jurisdictions would have to allow voters to use the paper ballots regardless of the electronic machines and must post a notice at the polling places that the paper ballots are available.

California already requires that polling places provide paper ballots as an alternative voting method in counties that use electronic voting machines, but not all states do so. California also requires a paper trail audit of all electronic voter machines.

The California Secretary of State encourages counties to have an adequate supply of paper ballots in the case of a power outage or if electronic voting machines fail, said Ashley Giovannettone, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Bruce McPherson. She said she could not comment on Boxer's legislation because she had not seen it."

The article is here.

Posted by Randy Riddle at September 27, 2006 10:07 AM