County looks at equipment to meet voting requirements
By BUD CHAMBERS Brenham Banner-Press  Wednesday, February 2, 2005 
  
  

The Help America Vote Act, commonly known as HAVA, was quietly passed into law in 2002 by the U.S. Congress.

The idea behind the act - which takes effect Jan. 1, 2006 - seems to be to give every American, regardless of physical limitations, an opportunity to vote with the least difficulty possible.

County Clerk Beth Rothermel, doubling as county elections coordinator, said today the new HAVA rules filter down to a requirement in this county for a touch-screen voting machine at each polling place (and each "party primary" voting location).

For the most recent March 2004 party primaries, which would be the maximum required under current procedures, that would translate to the county's purchase of new HAVA and Texas-certified voting "touch-screen" voting machines at 22 locations.

This would take care of the 18 precinct locations used in the November elections, and as well as four of those locations where the Democratic and Republican primaries last March had to be held in separate buildings.

"When the research was done (in 2001, before a 10-year redistricting process), we had 22 voting boxes and we should receive a $3,000 grant for each of those," Rothermel said.

That survey's findings worked out rather well, according to Rothermel, noting just four or so years ago there were just 13 voting precincts (for those 22 boxes), but the new redistricting expanded those numbers.

One problem that the county faces, in acquiring the most compatible equipment "and not noticeably changing our voting procedures" is that desirable equipment for these goals will be more than $5,000 per unit.

The biggest points in favor of this Elections Systems and Software's M-650 Auto Mark equipment is "so many people feel more comfortable with a paper ballot ? they can hold it in their hand" and know their vote isn't subject to simply vanishing, said Rothermel.

There is no doubt this system leaves a paper trail, which is a problem some aspiring HAVA systems are still trying to work out.

Rothermel, in addition to the touch-screen requirement, points to such other needs as programmed headphones; a Braille system for the visually-impaired; and a "puff device" for paralyzed people to control the system via signals using their breath.

Rothermel has already been researching and planning for some time toward this county's ultimate decision on touch-screen voting stations which are required in place by next Jan. 1.

She asked for two members of commissioners court (to remain short of a meeting quorum) to join her for an Austin demonstration several months ago of the HAVA-qualifying lines of voting equipment.

Judge Dorothy Morgan and Precinct Four commissioner Joy Fuchs then volunteered to join Rothermel for an Austin demonstration of the currently five HAVA-approved voting machine lines qualified by the state of Texas.

After a 25-minute commissioners court session Tuesday, the court went into workshop session to hear a program on Election Systems and Software's "touch" voting machines that can meet HAVA requirements.

The Omaha, Neb. company - which already has long served the county with high speed vote recording equipment for the courthouse's central counting station - was also an early favorite, if simply for a major reason that the county is already doing business with it.

Further, the three primary county representatives - Morgan, Fuchs and Rothermel - at those Austin demonstrations were sufficiently impressed, especially with ESS' M-650 Auto Mark touch-voting machine, that the Texas ESS representative Jason Barnett was invited for Tuesday's workshop.

According to Rothermel, Barnett spent from 9:30 a.m. to noon with officials from both Democratic and Republican party leaderships, the area's cities and school districts, Austin County government and a number of private citizens

"Questions were asked about every aspect of meeting ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and HAVA requirements," Rothermel said.

The next big task for commissioners - over perhaps the next month or two - is to evaluate costs vs. the satisfactory continuation "of the same system now working well for us."

Rothermel noted the setup of the less compatible system, though its basic cost is around $3,000, makes the two system rather close competitors and she is confident county officials will look at all factors closely in making "a decision that works best for Washington County."