Balloting upgrade gets put on hold

No new voting machines will be in place for Utah's general election in November, members of a committee charged with spending more than $20 million to replace the state's punch-card system decided Thursday.

"The last thing we want to do is make a mistake," State Elections Director Amy Naccarato said after the decision by the Voting Equipment Selection Committee to study how the various types of new machines perform in other states in November before making a choice.

Naccarato said there continues to be concerns about the security of the computerized machines. "While some of that we feel is valid, some of that is political," she said. "We know that perception is reality, and the perception is the machines aren't ready."

Replacing the punch-card ballots will make it easier for the disabled to vote without assistance. But at a public hearing last month, many disabled people testifying complained that access to polling places is an even bigger problem.

Fraser Nelson, executive director of the Disability Law Center, said the committee should be applauded for "making sure the decision has the support it needs to be successful." She said having new machines in place this November wasn't "a big, big concern."

Nelson said a recent survey of the law center's clients found that most were concerned about the security of the new voting machines. "For many people, they would rather make sure the thing works and their vote really does count . . . than to rush into something."

The state may still put some of the new machines at various polling places in November as part of a pilot program, Naccarato said, but they won't be used by the public to cast ballots in the election.

Instead, she said, they may ask participants a question that has no bearing on the election, such as choosing their favorite flavor of ice cream, or be used to collect demographic information about voters.

The committee still intends to put out a request for bids on the machines by June, Naccarato said. Delaying the purchase until after November also will enable the state to secure funds still needed from the federal government, she said.

Under the "Help America Vote Act" passed by Congress after the contentious 2000 presidential election, states must replace punch-card systems by the 2006 elections.

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