Gary Herbert is Utah's lieutenant governor. One of his duties is to oversee elections in the state, which puts him smack in the middle of this debate. He also happens to be a former county commissioner in Utah County, which means he can easily see both sides.

He makes it clear he is no fan of federal mandates, even partially funded ones. He's also not one to be critical of the punch-card system that has worked in Utah for so many years. Despite the hanging-chad problem in Florida, which probably was a result of using the wrong card stock, it is a reliable way to vote.

But he also believes whichever new voting system the state chooses will be even more reliable and accurate, and he was quick to remind me that he really doesn't have a choice in the matter. He has to follow the law.

"We wouldn't be having this discussion today if the old system was perfect," he said. "People say, 'I don't trust the new system.' I say, well, why do you trust the old system?"

For months now, Herbert and a committee have been studying the machines that are available. They even set up a demonstration at a local mall so average people could try out the equipment. One of the advantages of electronic voting is that the machines will tell you right away if you've done something wrong.

Using them, Herbert said, "It's hard to conceive of someone with even minimal intelligence not being able to vote for who they wanted to."

And that's where Utah County's courage may be revealed as foolishness. The federal law requires them to find a system that gives people immediate notification that they cast a spoiled ballot. Perhaps someone has invented a machine that can do that with a punch card right at the polling place. But if so, there's probably a price tag involved. Either way, it's going to cost.

The Census Bureau reports that Utah County now has more than 400,000 residents. For about a dollar a person, the county could join the rest of the state and make voting more accurate and accessible. Sure, it's money the county would rather not spend. But c'mon, it's for a worthy cause.

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Jay Evensen is editor of the Deseret Morning News editorial page. E-mail: even@desnews.com