The Ohio Secretary of State has reversed a decision from July 2004, now allowing touch-screen voting machines to be purchased by Ohio precincts in compliance with the Help America Vote Act.
The change came after Diebold Election Systems, a Texas-based company, released a new touch-screen machine model. The first machines were too expensive, costing almost $3,000 per machine, and did not print out a voting receipt, something the Ohio General Assembly requires of these new machines.
The new model is almost $200 less per machine, making them affordable for Ohio Boards of Elections, said James Lee, spokesman for J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's Secretary of State. Also, the newer models print out a receipt, signifying voting has occurred.
Originally, Blackwell made the decision to not allow Ohio counties to purchase the touch-screen voting machine because of the cost.
Ohio is receiving about $130 million dollars from the federal government to upgrade the punch-card ballot system, which most of the state uses now, to either optical scan machines or touch-screen machines. Thirteen counties in Ohio currently use the optical scan method, Lee said.
The optical scan method requires the voter to bubble in choices, much like a standardized test. The ballot is then put through a machine, read and analyzed.
Athens County uses the punch-card system, where voters use a stylus to punch out holes in the card to indicate their vote.
Counties can choose which type of system to use. Athens County has a budget of $600,000 if touch-screen machines are chosen or $500,000 if optical scan machines are chosen, said Susan Gwinn, chairwoman of the Athens County Board of Elections.
It is up to the county boards of election to decide what is best for their voters
Lee said.
Athens County has not made a decision on which system to order, Gwinn said.
In a recent survey conducted by the Athens County Board of Elections, 75 percent of those surveyed wanted to keep the punch-card ballots. People often want to stay with what they've been using, Gwinn said.
One benefit with punch-card ballots is that the machines produce a paper record of votes, Gwinn said.
You have a piece of paper that you can count if you have to Gwinn said.
Lee said it is unclear how counties will decide which machine to pick. Some may prefer the large display screens and the convenience of not having to use a pencil for the electronic voting machines.
Several counties in Ohio currently use a different type of system altogether. The system is electronic but not a touch-screen system.
The Lake County Board of Elections said their direct recording electronic system, which they have been using for six years, has caused no problems, said Robin Tagliamonte, chief technician for the Lake County Board of Elections.
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