Tight deadline
Officials hope new law won't force county to get new voting machines

BY ANDREW MACKIE    Hickory Daily RECORD     November 22, 2005

NEWTON - Catawba County government hopes a new law won?t force the need to replace its voting machines only two years after their purchase.

The General Assembly recently passed a law requiring all voting machines in North Carolina to have the ability to produce a paper copy of every ballot.

The state will now operate a bidding process for voting equipment.

But Catawba County officials were surprised to learn its equipment vendor, Hart InterCivic, failed to place a bid to meet a Nov. 4 deadline.

Catawba County has been in contact with state officials claiming its electronic Hart InterCivic machines should be approved due to its advanced technology.

In 2003, Catawba County spent $1.4 million for electronic voting machines to replace its paper ballot machines.

Hart officials will meet with state election leaders Dec. 1 to discuss its machines.

?We were totally anticipating using the machines we bought two years ago,? Catawba County Elections Board member David Hood told the Catawba County Board of Commissioners on Monday night.

Hood said Hart officials had issues with several parts of the new law, including the application of criminal and civil penalties along with the disclosure of software code information to state political party chairmen.

Hood and other election officials face a tight deadline.

If new machines are needed, they must be purchased in January to be in operation for a May primary.

?We hope that we don?t have to deal with the deadline,? Hood said.

Many, if not most, other counties across the state are faced with replacing machines. In addition to the state law, counties must also meet 2002 federal standards.

The state will offer grant money to cover some of the costs to replace the machines.

The law was spurred by election problems last year in Carteret County.