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November 10, 2008

Essex County had election woes

By LOHR McKINSTRY

ELIZABETHTOWN — Election Day problems in Essex County included electronic voting machines that didn't work, wouldn't print or were not set up correctly.

There were also privacy issues, with poll workers taking ballots from people to scan them instead of allowing voters to do it themselves.

County Election Commissioners David Mace and Lewis Sanders said Monday that they're working on the issues and hope to have them resolved by the next election.

Essex County bought 25 of the $12,000 electronic machines. Each poll is supposed to have at least one electronic machine to enable disabled people to vote, in addition to the mechanical lever-type machines that were still used for this election.

"We had problems with the printer aspect of the machines," said Mace, the Democratic commissioner. "I believe there are some software glitches. We have to get in touch with the manufacturer. It's unacceptable."

The manufacturer of the new machines, Sequoia/Dominion, had a technician available on Election Day, Mace said.

"There was a problem with the one (machine) in Minerva. It wasn't that it couldn't be repaired, but once one of their technicians — the manufacturer's technicians — opens the machine, by law, it can't be used for an election."

Supervisor Michael McSweeney (D-Minerva) said the electronic machine didn't work upon arrival in Minerva.

In addition, machines also malfunctioned in North Elba and Chesterfield, two machines were configured improperly in Moriah, and poll workers in Schroon and Ticonderoga were able to see how people had voted when they took ballots from them to be scanned.

"This (election) was an exercise in futility," Supervisor Robert C. Dedrick (R-Ticonderoga) said. "I believe people are getting so frustrated that they don't vote."

Mace said the new machines were checked before the election.

"All the machines had been tested and run through 15 or 20 votes before the elections."

The county had its own technicians to repair the machines, Sanders, the Republican commissioner, said, but "some things they can't do because of the warranty; it will void it."

Only about a half dozen people used the handicapped-access machines at each poll, he said. Most people voted using the old mechanical machines, which worked properly.

Mace said that for the next election most people will vote on pre-printed paper ballots, which are then scanned in.

The mechanical machines can't be used after this year, according to the State Board of Elections.

But Mace said that may change.

"We may not be getting rid of them."

The disabled-access part of the electronic machine allows people to vote on a video screen as the machine reads the ballot aloud. Then the machine is supposed to print out a ballot to be scanned.

The next generation of electronic machines will have just a paper-ballot scanner that electronically records votes.

"All people will put their ballots through that (scanner)," Mace said. "They will put their ballot in a privacy sleeve and carry it to the scanner."

Supervisor Gerald Morrow (D-Chesterfield) said it took people 20 minutes each to vote on the new machines in Chesterfield.

"If you're thinking about replacing the lever machines with these, forget about having an election."

E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com

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