Voter oversight causing problems in Travis County
10/22/2004 9:41 PM
By: James Keith  News8Austin        
     
Voter oversight is causing some Central Texas Democrats to cast their ballots for Republican President George Bush, rather than the straight ticket they think they're ing, according to the Travis County Clerk's Office.

The confusion stems from a referendum for a $60 million commuter line that is at the end of the ballot. Straight party voters must scroll down to find the referendum.

Libby Sykora, the executive assistant at the clerk's office, said voters should check the final summary sheet before casting their ballots.

At least a dozen straight party voters have reported problems with the eSlate voting machines.

 Some Democrats complain their ballots mistakenly voted for Republican President George Bush.     
 
Election officials have tested the eSlate machines more than 3,000 times since receiving the complaints. They believe people are hitting the enter button instead of the next page button.

"If someone casts a Democratic ticket, they're seeing that the change switches from the first position on the ballot, which is a Bush/Cheney ticket. If they cast a Republican straight party ticket, what they see is that first position in the presidential contest switches back to a ‘no’ ion," Elections Division Manager Gail Fisher said.

Whether voting straight ticket or for the candidates individually, each person will receive a ballot summary page that pops up on the screen before the ballot can be cast. This is the final chance for voters to see who they're voting for and to make sure it's who they want.

"The complaints we have so far, 100 percent of what he have reported to us are people who've caught it on their summary screen," Fisher said.

The machines in question have been pulled and officials plan to study the matter the elections. They encourage anyone having problems at the poll to contact an election judge before casting your ballot.

Election officials say eSlate machines are reliable only if voters pay attention.