Touch-screen voting may soon become a reality for San Diego County voters.
The county Board of Supervisors took the first step toward its use Dec. 12 by asking Chief Administrative Officer Walt Ekard to explore the option and seek state and federal funding.
The measure was brought before the board by Supervisors Greg Cox and Bill Horn. Following the board meeting, the supervisors hosted an interactive exhibit of touch-screen and optical scan voting systems.
“Clearly, a great deal of national attention has been focused on the validity of the punch ballot system since the November election,” Cox said. “Although we have not had any problems with our punch ballots in the county, it is high time that we move away from the 20-year-old system to a method that is easier for the voter and provides faster results.”
According to county Registrar of Voters Mikel Haas, replacing the approximately 13,000 punch-card balloting booths with electronic machines could cost the county nearly $50 million. Touch-screen voting systems, which were used in the last election in Riverside County, cost about $3,300 per unit.
“We believe this new technology will also have the net result of higher turn-out of the electorate in future elections,” Horn said. “We are always looking for ways to better serve our constituents, and being more efficient and secure with the voting process is a very real way to accomplish that goal.”
The secretary of state has certified use of machines by four companies. They include Election Systems & Software of Omaha, Neb.; Global Election Systems, of McKinney, Texas; Sequoia-Pacific, near Fresno, and UniLect Corp. in the East Bay near San Francisco.
Cox said touch-screen voting could be in use in San Diego County by November 2002
