Senator backs voting machine bill after firsthand experience with glitch

STEPHEN MANNING, Associated Press Writer

Monday, September 13, 2004
 

(09-13) 15:58 PDT ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP)

Sen. Barbara Mikulski added her name Monday to a bill that would require electronic voting machines to produce a paper record of ballots, just one day after a machine she tested at a local festival produced an erroneous result.

The Maryland Democrat signed on as a co-sponsor to legislation filed by Sen. Bob Graham, D-Florida, Mikulski aide Michael Morrill said. Graham's bill was introduced in April in response to fears that electronic voting machines used nationwide are subject to human error, could fail or be tampered with.

Mikulski got a firsthand look at possible voting mistakes when she tried out an AccuVote TS touch screen machine Sunday at a folk festival in Takoma Park.

Maryland was one of the first states in the country to implement touch-screen voting, spending $55 million on the program. Elections officials said there were few problems with the machines during the March primary.

But as Mikulski voted on a mock referendum question, her hand inadvertently grazed the screen and cast a "yes" vote for another mock question, according to Morrill, who stood next to her as she tested the machine.

Mikulski, who had planned to vote "no" on the question, tried to push the "no" button to change her vote, but the machine didn't make the change. She eventually was able to correct the ballot.

Morrill said the foul-up was most likely caused by Mikulski and not the machine. Still, "it showed that, yes, there are potential problems with electronic voting machines," he said.

He said Mikulski had planned to join the Graham bill before the incident, but that the example reinforces her belief that a voter moving quickly through a ballot could inadvertently cast the wrong vote.

"It did not create her belief, but it did reinforce her belief that you need a paper trail to ensure that you voted the way you wanted," he said.

A spokesman for Ohio-based Diebold Election Systems, which makes the AccuVote machine, said it provides ample opportunity for voters to change their votes and gives clear instructions on how to do so. David Bear also said voters see a summary screen at the end of their voting session, detailing each vote they cast.

"The voter always has the option to change their vote," he said.