Panel postpones decision on more early voting computers
SUSAN VOYLES
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL    12/21/2005

voting changes for 2006
Polling places

New multistation set up using bar codes on sample ballots.

Training poll workers to deal with inappropriate voter conduct.

Using in-service training day for teachers to close the schools on election days, providing lots of space for voting machines, consolidating polling places from 120 to 95.

Proposed increase of early voting machines from 65 to 250-300. Use bar code system to identify voters and match with electronic card ballots. Eliminate all hand-written logs.

Establish standard times and keep those hours throughout early voting. Expand locations to county libraries.

New computerized system for processing absentee ballot requests and new printer for envelopes. Make status of processing those ballots available on county Internet site.

Train County Emergency Response Team volunteers to handle voter calls at the registrar's office, freeing staff for calls only from polling places.
Source: Registrar of Voters office.

Washoe County commissioners Tuesday night approved changes in election procedures except for one that perhaps matters most to many voters "" speeding up long lines for early voting.

The commission delayed accepting a recommendation from Voter Registrar Dan Burk to add 250 to 300 voting machines for early voting. With only 65 voting machines for early voting in 2004, Burk said people waited in line for up to three hours.

At Commissioner Jim Galloway's request, the commission decided to deal with that issue until Jan. 17.

Galloway said he can't support making early voting more convenient than election days because of the role money and advertising play in political campaigns.

"Early voting increases the role of money. A person who can advertise four to five weeks ahead of the election can get their message out and can continue the effort all the way until election day," Galloway said. In his own campaign against a well-financed opponent last time, "I was told, 'things turned around when your message got out.'"

Burk's plan is aimed at making early voting more convenient. His goal was for no one to wait in line more than 30 minutes for early voting and 45 minutes on election days.

Several residents spoke in favor of the changes.

Linda Stanley said she had to vote in a hallway in Damonte High School last year, allowing prying eyes to see her ballot as she marked it on a computer screen.

She also said she appreciates Burk's plan to purchase 250 to 300 more machines for the election and the bar code system to speed up signing in voters.

"I'm lucky I only had a 40-minute wait, but others who came later waited for three hours," she said.

She said closing the schools for the election sends a message to 18-year-olds to vote. And she said it will enfranchise "women with little children" who can't wait in line for long periods.

He expects more early voters next year than in 2004, when 34,000 people voted early in the general election. About 159,000 voters cast ballots.

To speed up the lines, Burk intends to institute a bar code system to identify voters that would be on sample ballots mailed to voters.

In early voting and on election days, voters would bring the sample ballot and check in with a poll worker who would scan the bar code and look up the voters in the computer. If they are at the right polling place and have no changes, then they'd move on to the next station where another computer setup would issue them a computerized ballot for voting. He said the bar code system would eliminate human error in giving people the wrong ballot.

Burk said about 90 percent of voters are ready to vote but the other 10 percent hold up the process for everyone else.

Another major change already approved by the school board would be to close schools on Election Day for one of the annual in-service training days for teachers. Election officials will have more room to set up the computerized voting machines and guarantee the secrecy of the ballot.