September 22, 2006

"E-voting plan hits roadblock"

"Concern that voters and poll workers need more time to acclimate to electronic voting machines is crippling plans to widely use the systems in November, a stumbling block which will leave ballots uncounted until the wee hours of the following morning.

Chief Elections Officer Warren Slocum wants to use a phased-in approach to introduce the Hart Intercivic eSlate machines to San Mateo County rather than using three to six of the machines in the Nov. 7 general election. The plan will place one device at each precinct, leaving many voters to use paper ballots. The completed ballots will be brought back to the elections office for a central county process which, due to the size and projected turnout, could take until 4 a.m. to finish, according to Slocum’s estimates.

The lengthy count is contrary to past elections in San Mateo County which are often noted for their relative speed. Slocum, however, believes the trade off of integrity over speed is necessary to implement the electronic system in a more palatable way.

“The integrity of the vote and voter confidence are essential to the long-term acceptance of the county’s electronic voting equipment,” Slocum informed county officials earlier this week.

The revised plan gives precinct workers more time to familiarize themselves with the new system over time instead of managing a completely different process from beginning to end on Election Day."

The story is here.

Posted by Randy Riddle at September 22, 2006 08:43 AM