Pike and Wayne accept electronic voting machines

Wayne Commissioners unveil the machine they’re choosing; Pike commissioners balk at price tag

By TOM KANE

MILFORD, PA — The two meetings were a study in contrast.

On Wednesday, December 14, the Pike County Commissioners grudgingly and almost bitterly accepted responsibility imposed by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) that calls for the replacement of old voting machines by new electronic ones.

On Thursday, December 15, Wayne County Commissioners readily approved of the act and proudly unveiled the electronic machine that they plan to purchase.

The reason for the contrast? The funding Pike will receive pays about one-third of the cost of the program, while the funding Wayne will receive covers the majority of the cost.

Pike will receive a total of $207,507. Wayne will receive a total of $444,262.

It is estimated that the program and the machines will cost around $500,000 to $600,000, according to Harry Forbes, chair of the Pike County Commissioners.

The reason for the difference in funding? “Pike has only 13 or 14 voting districts while Wayne has 37,” said Vicky Lamberton, chief clerk. “The act allocates a basic $8,000 for each polling district.”

Each county will receive the funding in three segments: funding to improve the administration of the elections, poll workers and election official training, and to improve the accessibility and quantity of polling places; funding to purchase electronic units and other voting systems equipped for individuals with disabilities; and funding to address various HAVA requirements including voter education, outreach and public announcements, and related software.

“We will have machines positioned at various stores and public places throughout the county in the ensuing months so people can get a chance to try them out,” said Tony Herzog, chair of the Wayne County Commissioners.

Pike’s complaint

“This is a situation where, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” said commissioner Rich Caridi. As far as Caridi is concerned, and this was seconded by the other two commissioners, Forbes and Karl Wagner, the machines they now have work very well.

“Because of one infraction in Florida five years ago, this is being imposed upon the states and the counties of the nation,” Caridi said.

The act provides funding of about $207,000 to Pike County to carry out the replacements. “The problem is that the real costs will be about $600,000,” Forbes said. The machines cost about $500 to $600 each. “This is being forced upon our taxpayers and taxpayers throughout the country,” Forbes said.

“This issue has all three of us feeling the same,” Forbes said. “We have voiced our dissatisfaction at the federal and state levels to no avail.”

The act has to be accepted in the nation’s counties by January 1, 2006.

“Another problem is that the companies making the machines must be certified before we can purchase the machines from them, but only one of them is certified now,” Caridi said.

“If something goes wrong with the machines during an election, we are responsible for correcting any problems that may occur,” Wagner said.

“The county will also have to defray the cost of training our election workers and then training the public,” Caridi said. “The federal government mandates programs and then doesn’t pay for them. So we have to go to the taxpayers.”

The new machine unveiled

Kimberly Shoup, regional sales representative from Advanced Voting Solutions of Orefield, PA demonstrated on a replica machine how the electronic voting works. Several people at the meeting tried the machines out and experienced no difficulty.

“These machines are extremely user-friendly,” Shoup said. “No one should feel threatened by them. The steps in the voting process are very clear on the machine and should cause no worry in any voter.”

The company has not yet been certified but expects to be very soon, she said.

“We and the county election bureau have been investigating many companies, and they and we feel that this is the best,” Herzog said.

The act was passed in 2002 with a projected date of 2004 for completion. “We’re hoping the machines will be installed by the primaries in May of 2006,” Herzog said.