Early voting is suggested

PROVO — The way Utah County Commissioner Steve White sees it, there are two options on the electronic election ballot:

• Utah allows early voting, or

• Utah County raises taxes.

White prefers the first option, but it's not up to him.

Early voting is one of the issues the state Legislature is expected to address during the 2006 general session, which begins Jan. 16. Utah lawmakers will be considering a change to the state election code that would allow voters to cast their ballots up to two weeks before Election Day.

They're also expected to explore the option of permitting county clerks to consolidate voting precincts into central locations such as shopping malls.

It's an option that White estimates could save Utah County — and potentially taxpayers — $160,000 a year. The establishment of satellite voting locations would mean fewer precincts would need to be created each year, he said, and a two-week voting window would curb the crowds on Election Day.

And all of that would prevent Utah County from spending about $320,000 every two years to purchase enough electronic voting machines to keep up with the county's growth, White said.

"(A tax increase) is a concern unless the state law is changed to allow early voting two weeks before the election and to have precincts larger than 1,000 voters," he said. "If we keep everything the way it is, we're going to have to add 100 machines every two years."

The change to electronic voting machines in 2006 stems from the federal Help America Vote Act, passed by Congress in 2002 as a reaction to the voting problems in Florida during the 2000 presidential election. HAVA requires counties to install voting procedures that are accessible to all disabled voters and allow people to correct any mistakes they make while filling out the ballot.

The state contracted with Ohio-based Diebold to purchase 7,500 electronic voting machines using nearly $28 million in federal money, said Michael Cragun, state elections director. About $3.5 million of that cost covers an extended warranty through 2015 on the full-color, touch-screen machines.

Utah County is slated to receive 1,074 electronic voting machines. And although the state covered the cost of those machines with its federal allotment, finding funding for the additional equipment that may be needed in the future is up to the counties.

"That could lead to a tax increase (in Utah County) down the road," White said.