Vote machines can deliver paper trail

By Michael Wright
The Facts

Published April 04, 2004

ANGLETON — If you want it, you got it.

That was the message to county commissioners Thursday from a company that makes electronic voting machines.

Mike Devereaux of Electronic Systems and Software told commissioners, along with members of the committee studying new machines, the company could deliver a system that complies with any needs the county has.

“It’s not up to ES&S to decide if you’re going to have a paper trail or not have a paper trail,” Devereaux said.

Officials also met with Hart Intercivic on Friday to look at their voting machines.

Janice Evans, who heads the county’s election office, said she was impressed with both meetings, but said she’s not sure when the county will purchase new machines.

With “voter verification” becoming a battle cry as entities across the country switch to more sophisticated methods of casting and counting votes, the options are endless, Devereaux said.

While many electronic machines don’t come with a paper backup that could be verified during a recount, there are and have been options for that on the market.

Devereaux said the problem is that no government has set standards for paper trails on electronic voting, and that is holding back development.

ES&S sells optical scanning machines that count paper ballots by reading darkened circles next to a candidate’s name. This provides more security than just recount capability.

“The other thing about a paper ballot for the voters is they get to review it,” Devereaux said.

On the higher tech end are touch-screen machines, similar to automated teller machines. Voters would access the machines, either through a card specfic to their precinct or with the help of a poll worker, who would make sure the right ballot pops up on screen.

Devereaux said the key is to make it easier for the voter and the poll worker.

He said making sure the poll worker can handle the new technology is more important than training the voter, because the poll worker can make sure the voter does it right.

“What you want to make sure happens is you don’t want to make it difficult for the poll worker,” he said. “You’ve got to make it intuitive.”

Pct. 3 Commmissioner Jack Harris said he was impressed by the presentation, but he wants to look at more options. Harris said he’s leaning toward the old-fashioned ways.

“I feel more comfortable with optical scan at this point,” he said. “I think we’ve got to take a look at at all the options.”

Evans said the county won’t buy an electronic machine, or digital recording equipment, until either the federal or state government develops standards.

“There’s not any DRE’s out there with paper trails yet,” she said. “They have the capability, but nothing is approved.”