Touch screen voting unveiled

Staff (05-03-03)

San Mateo County is taking a step into the future with touch screen voting expected to be in use throughout the county November 2004.

The state-of-the-art technology is a step above touch screen voting being used in other areas such as Santa Clara County. The new model prints a paper receipt of who and what the person voted for, making it possible for people to verify their vote before leaving.

“We in San Mateo County believe the paper verifiable system is an absolute necessity,” said San Mateo County Assessor/Clerk/Recorder Warren Slocum.

Next November, when voters walk up to a voting booth they will have a flat computer screen instead of paper and pen. Voters will select a candidate by pressing a button on the screen. Before a voter chooses to submit their vote, a receipt will print up and be displayed in a clear flat tube hanging in the rear portion of their booth. The voter can review their choices before submitting their computer vote — and sending the paper receipt into a locked box below the booth. The paper is vacuumed into the box and never touched by the voter.

“It’s just like going to the store and getting a receipt,” said Slocum.

However, voters will only be able to view the receipt. To prevent people from buying votes, state law prohibits the paper from being removed from the polling place by voters.

By having a paper verifiable system, county election officers can double-check all computer tallies. It also provides piece of mind to voters skeptical of the whole system, said Slocum.

The computer will also display the ballot in different languages, saving the cost of printing up ballots in different languages.

The new system will also allow people with disabilities to vote without the assistance of someone else. A blind person will be able to plug in an ear set and hear the choices read to them and press one button for yes or another for no. Their answers will be read back to them to verify their choices.

The machines cost approximately $2,000 to $3,000 each and the county will order 3,000, said Slocum. Under Proposition 41, passed last November, the state will pay two-thirds of the cost with the county covering the remaining costs.

The initial cost will likely be $6 million or higher but over the course of four or five elections the machines will begin saving the county money, said Election Manager Gary Tom.

Currently, the county is regulated by the state to provide enough ballots for 75 percent of all eligible voters. In reality only about 20 percent actually show up to vote and the extra ballots are discarded, said Tom.

The new machine is likely to be certified by the state in July but the county is waiting on news from the state task force on touch screen technology formed in February. The task force was formed to evaluate the touch screen technology and make recommendations to Gov. Gray Davis on whether the state should mandate the new technology or leave the decisions up to counties.

The task force is expected to release their findings next week, said member Dave Dill.

Dill is a computer science professor at Stanford University and a resident of Redwood City. He started attending meetings in Santa Clara County and has since become involved in the state movement to touch screen voting.

“Computer professionals have been working on this for 20 years, but they were kind of isolated from the politicians who didn’t know who they were,” said Dill.

Although cautious of supporting a single type of voting system, Dill seemed supportive of the new system but pointed out the system needs to be flawless before it goes into production.

Printer jams, delays and high initial costs are the major setbacks of this system, said Dill.

Despite the minimal problems, the touch screen got the vote of city clerks who showed up to test out the new system Friday at the county election office.

The touch screen technology will replace optical scan technology in use today, which was introduced 10 years ago. The optical scan works like a Scantron, detecting pen ink to signify a vote.

The new systems will be in use next November, allowing enough time to educate people about it, said Slocum.

“If you do the job of educating people first the other problems will go away,” said Slocum.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.