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Vote with just a touch

Saturday, October 29, 2005

By DOUG STALEY    The Independent

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, history will be made in Stark County.

For the first time, votes will be cast with electronic touch screen machines, culminating months of preparation.

Board of Elections officials have spent the past five weeks training poll workers how to set up and use the new devices, according to Jeanette Mullane, the board?s deputy director.

While the system has created apprehension among some workers, Mullane said most have caught on quickly.

?It?s very similar to using a microwave,? Mullane said. ?You just touch a screen. It?s very user-friendly.?

Around 1,500 poll workers ? four per precinct ? will be prepared to assist voters when they head out to the polls, Mullane said. Workers could be called upon to do everything from charging a dead battery to eliminating a paper jam.

Mullane said the Board of Elections tried to entice county government employees and local college students to work the polls. Workers are paid $85 to $105 for their service, depending on their job duties.

?We?re bringing in poll coordinators to make sure the polls are set up properly? she explained. ?If there any questions, we will have rovers out going from precinct to precinct. We are really looking at every angle to minimize any problems.?

In addition, experts from Diebold Inc., the manufacturer of the machines, will be available to provide technical assistance.

The county purchased 1,440 machines with nearly $3.9 million in federal grant dollars provided by the Help America Vote Act.

The act was passed by Congress following the controversy over the counting of ballots in the 2000 presidential election. The funds were released to individual counties by the state based on registered voter figures from 2002. The handicapped accessible machines replace the punch card system which had been utilized since the 1970s.

Mullane said the devices are equipped with a voter verified paper trail device that will allow voters to review their choices on a receipt.

What?s more, the machines are secure, according to Mullane.

?The system is a stand alone system,? Mullane said. ?It?s not connected to the Internet or any phone lines. There?s no way anybody can hack into it.?

Here?s a brief description of how the voting process will work:

?Voters a smart card issued to them by poll workers.

?Once the card is ed, a set of instructions appear on the screen

?Votes are cast by touching the name of the candidate on the screen.

?The card is ejected from the unit once the voting has been completed and the votes are stored in the machine?s memory.

?Results are retrieved from the machine by removing the card and downloading the information to the system?s main computer.

?The machines are equipped with a data encryption system that is used to protect ballot information.



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