PROVO — Four members of Provo's City Council are on the bubble this year and not just because their seats are up for grabs in the November election.

Provo voters actually will fill in bubble sheets like those used for standardized school tests when they vote in the city's primary election on Sept. 11 and the general election on Nov. 6, city recorder LaNice Groesbeck said.

"The ballot is an 8 1/2-by-11 sheet of paper," she said. "The names of the candidates will be on the sheet, and voters just have to fill in the bubble next to the candidate they want to vote for."

Diebold's optical scanner will scan the sheets and tally the votes.

Groesbeck chose the optical scanner because it's considerably cheaper than the Diebold touchscreen system used in county and state elections for the first time last year.

The optical scanner system is expected to cost Provo about $80,000, while the touchscreen system would have cost about $140,000, she said.

In 2005, the last citywide election that didn't dovetail with county and state races, Provo spent $65,000 to hold the election using punch cards.

"As you all know, punch cards have had issues and pretty much become a thing of the past," Groesbeck told the City Council during a study meeting Tuesday night. "Equipment and supplies are pretty impossible to get. In fact, we only have two computers in the whole city (government) that could handle a punch-card election."

The filing period is a month earlier this year because of a new state law. The period begins July 2 and ends July 16.

The bubble ballots will not be counted in the voting precincts but brought to the city center to be scanned, Groesbeck said.

Diebold will provide support personnel on election night.

Up for election are the city-wide II seat held by Steve Turley, and the District 2 (Cynthia Dayton), District 3 (Midge Johnson) and District 4 seats (Barbara Sandstrom).

District 2 covers most of north Provo. District 3 includes much of south Provo, including the airport and Slate Canyon. District 4 represents west Provo north of Center Street, including Grandview Hill.

For a map of the districts, visit www.provo.org and look for the municipal council tab under government.

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