April 04, 2007

"Elections may prove to be very expensive"

"Local elections for city councils and school boards are set for November and the state's presidential primary, now moved forward, will occur in February. A primary for the rest of the state's partisan offices is set for June 2008, with a presidential election five months later in November.

Add to that a top-to-bottom review of the voting machines certified for use in California in August and the question becomes: Will San Mateo County actually be able to carry it out? And, more importantly, will the county be able to pay for it?

"The confluence of all these events creates issues in several are as, with money, with every aspect you can think of," said San Mateo County Chief Elections Officer Warren Slocum. "For us and for everybody it's going to tax election staff because youhave overlapping election schedules. It's going to cost money."

The county is still unsure of what, exactly, it might be facing.

On March 22, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen proposed a review at the state level "to ensure that California voters are being asked to cast their ballots on machines that are secure, accurate, accessible and auditable." Comments to Bowen's proposal were due Friday. She intends to release a final proposal of her plans for the machine review on Friday. Public hearings will follow.

It's not that Slocum doesn't support the path that Bowen is heading down.

"The main policy issue, the main question, is people need to have confidence that their votes are counted correctly," Slocum said."

The story is here.

Posted by Randy Riddle at April 4, 2007 08:21 AM