Voting machine clears a hurdle
4 COUNTIES CAN USE THEM IF THEY ADD SECURITY MEASURES
By Elise Ackerman
Mercury News

California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley told four counties on Tuesday they could use a controversial Diebold electronic voting machine in the March election if they take additional security measures.

For more than a year, computer scientists have sounded alarms about the security and reliability of touch-screen voting machines and vote-counting software made by Diebold Election Systems. In particular, they have worried that errors in tallying votes will not be detected when counting digital ballots.

Responding to those concerns, Shelley's office last week announced the state would conduct random tests of voting machines on election day. Shelley had previously required all touch-screen voting machines used in California to produce a paper receipt of a voter's ballot by July 2006. A paper trail enables voters to double check their ballots have been cast correctly before they leave the polls.

On Tuesday, Shelley spokesman Doug Stone said counties using a newer version of Diebold's TSX touch screen machine must take additional security measures in next month's presidential primary. He said Solano, San Joaquin, Kern and San Diego counties will have to make paper ballots available to any voter who wants one. Those four counties also will be required to print out paper versions of all digital ballots after the polls are closed.

The new measures do not apply to counties, such as Alameda County, which use an older version of Diebold's electronic voting system.

Santa Clara County uses touch screen machines made by Sequoia Voting Systems.

Stone also said the new machines have passed a series of federal tests, enabling them to receive state certification. Last fall, the machines received conditional state certification pending the outcome of the federal tests.

Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, said printing the ballots at the end of an election would enable local officials to detect unusual voting patterns but that it wasn't a substitute for allowing voters to check their votes themselves.

In December, a state audit by Shelley's office revealed Diebold had installed uncertified software in 17 counties using its equipment. Stone said the company may still be sanctioned at some future date for breaking state law.

Contact Elise Ackerman at eackerman@mercurynews.com