Voting machines trigger few fears

Utahns planning to vote in Tuesday's primary election may be worried about immigration and the Iraq war, but they are not bothered by the state's new electronic voting system.

In fact, 82 percent are either not very concerned or not at all concerned about using the new, ATM-style electronic voting machines, according to a Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll conducted by Dan Jones and Associates. Only 15 percent had concerns, and 10 percent of those were only somewhat concerned, while 3 percent were undecided.

The poll was conducted between June 20-22, and all respondents lived in the 3rd Congressional District. It has a margin of error of 4.5 percent and surveyed 481 people.

Deseret Morning News graphic Requires Adobe Acrobat.

While the numbers may seem surprisingly high, considering the amount of local and national media attention the machines have received in recent weeks, Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen said she was actually disappointed that there are still that many people concerned about the safety and use of the machines. After all, county clerks and state elections officials have spent considerable time and money in the weeks leading up to Tuesday's primary trying to educate voters about the machines, which are manufactured by Diebold Elections Systems Inc.

"I'm sad (the number of people concerned) is as high as it is," she said. "We've gone to great lengths to make the vote secure, and I don't even want 18 percent wondering about using them," she said, lumping in the "undecided" segment.

Joe Demma, the chief of staff for Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, who oversees elections, said that he was pleased with the numbers. He also expects that after the primary election, the number of people who feel fine with the machines will be even higher.

"A lot of people aren't very worried about it, and when they get to the polls, they feel very comfortable using them," he said. "Those numbers are consistent with what we've heard as we have toured the state. People generally seem to like what we're doing."

The biggest worry for respondents was the security of the machines, as 27 percent said it was either definitely or probably a concern. Only 13 percent were concerned about their vote not being counted or their ballot not being private, while 9 percent thought that the machines might be too complicated.

When, where to vote

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For polling locations, contact your county clerk (www.elections.utah.gov/countyclerks.html)

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E-mail: jloftin@desnews.com