Saying goodbye to touch-screen balloting

Paper records spur switch to optical scan

Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by GRETCHEN PHILLIPS Charles County Board of Education member and 5th District congressional candidate Collins A. Bailey prepares to vote at T.C. Martin Elementary School. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Come 2010, Maryland's electoral system is going back to the future.

Tuesday's election was the last time voters in Maryland will use touch-screen voting machines, the $65 million high-tech system introduced in 2004 in response to the mayhem of hanging chads and misaligned ballots that marred the 2000 presidential election in Florida.

But those worries have been replaced by fears that electronic voting machines do not produce a paper ballot, are susceptible to computer hackers and are more prone to malfunctions

So, next time voters are at the ballot box, they'll use paper ballots read by optical scan machines, which can be verified in the event a recount is needed in a disputed election.

"To get to a paper record that's verified by the voter is more consistent with Maryland law and allows for more confidence in the integrity of the election," said Kevin Zeese, executive director of True Vote Maryland, the lead advocate for paper ballots.

Even after Maryland ditches the touch-screen machines, the state will still be footing the bill. But by reverting to the old paper system, Zeese said the state will save money in the long term, because fewer optical scan machines are needed, and they cost less to maintain.

The state has already committed $25 million for the switch.

Other states are also moving away from the once-popular electronic machines, said Ryan O'Donnell, executive director of Common Cause Maryland.

"I think people want to be able to see and touch a real physical record of their participation," he said. "It's a little bit lower-tech, but in terms of going back to the future, voter trust really is timeless."

The biggest hiccup with the machines in Maryland occurred in Montgomery County in 2006 when cards needed to start up the machines were not delivered to polling places on time, causing long lines and leaving some voters unable to cast a ballot.

Larger glitches, including claims of vote switching, have taken place in other states that have used electronic software, Zeese said. There have also been widespread reports of defective machines on Election Day.

Both advocates said the state needs to adopt a regular method, regardless of the type of system used, to conduct election audits of machines to ensure the integrity and reliability of voting systems.

Still, opponents say the switch is an overreaction to isolated problems with electronic machines.

And several voters said they have grown comfortable with the touch-screen machines and haven't experienced any problems.

"I'm seriously going to miss the voting machines," said Antwalyse Henderson, after casting her ballot at Eva Turner Elementary School in Waldorf. "It's so easy."

"I'm young, so electronic [voting] is probably my best friend," said Joshua Revells of Hughesville of the machines, who voted at T.C. Martin Elementary School in Bryantown.

State elections Administrator Linda H. Lamone repeatedly voiced her support for touch-screen machines, brushing off concerns about security and reliability.

But the General Assembly voted in 2007 to scrap the systems and go back to paper ballots by 2010, which O'Donnell called a "courageous move" that will restore voter trust in the elections process. "It's unquestionably a step forward."

abrody@somdnews.com

Staff writer Jay Friess contributed to this report.