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States Won't Pull Plug On E-Voting
by Maureen Sirhal
The argument that new election technology can cure the nation's electoral ills suffered a blow in last week's troubled Florida primary, but the results of electoral reform thus far are mixed. While several counties and states are reporting glitches, due in part to new technology, others are citing their updated voting systems as the key to enhancing electoral accuracy and quality.
Reports of ill-trained poll workers and mishaps with new touch-screen voting machines in Miami-Dade and Broward counties in Florida created controversy in the state's Democratic gubernatorial primary between former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno and Tampa lawyer Bill McBride. Although Reno finally conceded to McBride this week, the narrow gap in their election results highlighted the problems that some regions experienced in debuting voting systems.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that software glitches prevented some voters in Georgia's recent primary from voting with new touch-screen machines. And The Washington Post reported that poor training of poll workers in Maryland also triggered problems with voting machines.
Such troubles have prompted officials elsewhere to rethink their electoral reform plans. In California, for instance, Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Jesse Durazo told The Mercury News that he plans to delay a pilot project for electronic voting that is scheduled to debut in November. The county, which acquired new touch-screen voting machines from firms that outfitted the troubled Florida counties, will launch a demonstration instead of taking a "live" vote.
But not all states and localities are blaming technology for election snafus. In San Antonio, Texas, officials in Bexar County are more confident about their technology after observing speedy returns from Sarasota County, Fla., which deployed similar touch-screen technology. And USA Today reported this week that Hinds County, near Jackson, Miss., will be the first county in the state to use wireless voting machines in 120 precincts in the general election.
"We've been focusing on technology that really allows the opportunity for poll workers -- which are typically chosen at the last minute, and training is difficult to coordinate -- to pull off these things," said Jim Adler, the CEO of VoteHere, an online and electronic voting-technology firm. "It's important that the technology get put into the system to mitigate the human error."
Election Reform In Georgia And Michigan
VoteHere oversaw the implementation of new voting machines in Suwanee, Ga. "We had a flawless election," Adler said. He cited the firm's business model of using common, off-the-shelf technologies and software for boosting citizens' familiarity with the systems and reducing the chance of error. "Buying a voting machine to use once or twice a year is much too costly," he said. It "makes more sense to use equipment counties already have. We've been really pushing that forward."
Georgia was one of the first states to enact election reform after the 2000 presidential-election debacle in Florida. But even there, several counties experienced vote-counting delays because the operating systems of touch-screen machines simply froze for certain periods of time. Officials say they are looking at ways to enhance the systems before the general election.
Still, states looking to avoid problems like Florida's are concentrating on voter education. In Michigan, Secretary of State Candice Miller this week reiterated steps the state is taking to mitigate potential woes. The state has new accreditation programs that require detailed training for poll workers and poll-worker trainers. "We have gone to great lengths to make sure local elections are prepared," said Elizabeth Boyd, the secretary of state's communications director. "Ultimately it comes down to them."
Boyd said precincts in the Detroit area experienced some delays in counting ballots cast by optical-scanning machines. But of the nearly 3000 precincts that use the technology, only those few experienced what Boyd characterized as minor troubles.
She said most of Michigan's primary operated smoothly thanks to initiatives like the Qualified Voter File (QVF), which helps election officials keep up-to-date lists of registered voters. Earlier this month Michigan unveiled a comprehensive Web site -- the voter information center -- that provides detailed information on where Michigan residents are supposed to vote, directions to the facilities, how-to instructions for completing ballots, and lists of candidates and proposals.
"When you look at just the basics of what voters need, we've eliminated that potential confusion by giving people access to information," Boyd said.
Experts note that technology is not a panacea to solving voting snafus. "When you put electronic systems in place, there are a whole new set of problems that are going to crop up," Adler noted. But states still are moving toward updated technology.
Techies Join The Campaign Fray
Technology trade groups around the country are voicing their views on some of this fall's election initiatives as the countdown to Nov. 5 continues.
Minnesota's High-Tech Association will hold a gubernatorial debate on Thursday, with candidates discussing the state's high-tech economy and policies they support to sustain and expand economic growth. "This is a terrific opportunity to ask the important questions of the four gubernatorial candidates regarding their vision for the high-tech community and economy, if elected," the association told its members.
The Northern Virginia Technology Council, meanwhile, is pushing its members to back a state referendum that would let counties in northern Virginia impose a half-cent sales tax to enhance the transportation infrastructure. By "voting 'yes' for a half-cent sales-tax increase, we will generate $5 billion to invest in improving our mass-transit system, our roadways and our quality of life," the council says on its Web site, encouraging members to participate in the campaign to pass the referendum.
Tech Groups Urge Vetoes In California
Several technology groups are urging California Gov. Gray Davis to veto legislation that would impose fees and regulations for recycling electronics equipment, such as computer monitors. The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) and Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) have sent letters to Davis urging him to veto one bill, S.B. 1523, that would add a $10 recycling fee on new electronic products and another measure, S.B. 1619, that would create goals and compliance dates for recycling.
"We simply do not believe that S.B. 1523 and S.B. 1619 represent an appropriate solution for electronics recycling," EIA President Dave McCurdy wrote. "Moreover, neither bill has been given a full public hearing. The final versions of the bills were rushed through the legislature with late-hour amendments. The implications of these last-minute amendments should have been debated and critically analyzed."
The groups also argued that the imposition of a recycling fee would constitute an interstate tax. "It is well-established federal constitutional law that a state cannot tax or impose certain fees on companies without a physical nexus to that state," wrote John Venator, president and CEO of CompTIA.
The groups argued that the measures would discourage state residents from buying goods from the high-tech firms based in the region. Moreover, they said, the availability of products over the Internet creates the same dilemma for collecting recycling fees that currently exists for online sales taxes.
CompTIA also has asked Davis to veto several privacy measures that the state legislature cleared.
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