Craven Co. likely to have new voting machines
December 10,2004
Sue Book
New Bern Sun Journal Staff

Craven County's next election as well as those across the state will most likely see voters casting ballots on new voting machines with a verifiable paper trail.

"A lot of major changes in equipment in the state are coming and it looks like they will include new machines with a verifiable voter receipt," said Tiffiney Miller, Craven County Board of Elections director.

Miller received information about the possible changes earlier this week from Gary Bartlett, state board of elections director, at a seminar for the county elections directors.

"? It is my opinion from what I've heard privately that this is the direction the state is going, that we will go to a paper trail voting system," Bartlett told the Sun Journal Thursday.

"It's going to be left up to the General Assembly through its study commission, but it is my opinion," he said, noting that 12-member General Assembly Joint Select Committee on Electronic Voting Systems meets Monday.

The committee includes Rep. Jean Preston, who represents Carteret County, where electronic voting equipment failed to count 4,438 early voters because of a manufacturer's technician error. The error prompted a Jan. 11 election on state commissioner of agriculture for those voters and any other registered Carteret voters who did not vote.

But the move to go to paper trail voting machines has been gaining momentum at least since March, when the state board meeting in New Bern put the brakes on certifying new voting machines until federal standards are in place.

Bartlett said three of five state elections board members observed elections in Nevada, which uses paper trail machines, something that was planned before problems surfaced in this state with the Nov. 2 election.

Miller said Craven County's electronic voting machines can reproduce votes on a paper tape but do not produce the verifiable paper trail many elections activists are seeking.

"That would require new voting machines in Craven County, and all 100 counties in North Carolina will see some changes in equipment," Miller said.

Printers can not be attached to Craven's machines, which are no longer being manufactured, so new machines would be necessary if the verifiable paper trail requirement is enacted, she said.

The statewide cost for the expected changes is $80 million, with state and federal money picking up the majority of the cost, leaving counties to pick up equipment maintenance costs, Miller said.

"We're in pretty good shape because we do have the software so we won't have to reinvent the wheel unless standards go off the map," said Miller.

Bartlett said the money is available to pay for the changes.

Another change in Craven County elections could be the creation of a new precinct. Miller said the Grantham precinct could be split to allow for more efficient voting, with a new voting site likely to be the Township 7 firehouse annex on Thurman Road.

She said a state freeze against splitting precincts implemented during redistricting has been lifted, allowing Craven to possibly make the move.

Craven County experienced election problems when a computer glitch allowed some absentee ballots to be counted twice, resulting in the wrong winner being called for the District 5 commissioner race on election night in unofficial returns. The Sun Journal discovered the incorrect vote totals the next day, which election officials said would have surfaced during the official vote canvass done a week after the election.