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Federal act requires new system { June 25 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.townonline.com/wilmington/news/local_regional/tew_covwivoting06252003.htmhttp://www.townonline.com/wilmington/news/local_regional/tew_covwivoting06252003.htm
Town to replace voting machines
By Richard Thompson / Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
LOCAL NEWS
Federal act requires new system
WILMINGTON - The town's voting machines could well become things of the past.
And the 2000 presidential election is responsible.
Town Clerk Kathleen Scanlon said the federal Help America Vote Act says the Wilmington machines, because voters have to pull levers to cast their votes, will be banned in federal elections starting next year.
Also banned are punch-card ballots, similar to those used in Florida in 2000. Scanlon said federal election officials feel the voting machines negatively affected the election.
There are other changes voters could see. Scanlon said the act may require voter identification systems and additional access1 for handicapped voters.
Scanlon said the town is turning to the election system used in a number of area towns, including Tewksbury. Voters will fill in a circle or complete an arrow to indicate their choice and then feed the ballot directly into a card reader.
The new ballot readers will cost the town $7,000 per unit. Scanlon said she needs one reader for each precinct and one extra, just in case something goes wrong. That brings the town's bill to $49,000.
Scanlon also said the federal government is offering the towns $2,300 per unit, to help offset the cost of changing election systems. The reimbursement would amount to $16,100, leaving the town with $32,900 to budget.
Scanlon said the federal reimbursement is set at $2,300 right now.
"They may change it and we could get more money, or they may have more money for training," she said.
All of the town's election workers will have to be trained to use the new equipment.
"I did think originally that we wouldn't have to do this until 2006," Scanlon said. In the 30 years the town has been using the lever machines, there has never been a complaint from a voter.
But at a recent meeting with the Secretary of State, Scanlon learned Wilmington would not get a waiver.
The vendors that sell the new equipment advised her to start using the new machines in the spring, at the April town election. The vendors would have more time available to help with the rough spots, since there would be few towns using the equipment for the first time. However, Scanlon said there is no money in the fiscal 2004 town budget to purchase the equipment, so she has to push it until September 2004 and the state primary.
"It probably would be better to do it in April, but I don't think I can do that," Scanlon said. She added that she will be making a presentation to selectmen on the new requirements and new machines, possibly in September.
Scanlon said she will be sorry to see the old machines go.
"I love my old machines," she said. "I know them."
Scanlon said a number of communities have had problems with the lever machines, mostly because they may not maintain them. She said in Boston, the machines failed to record the votes on a ballot question.
She credits Wilmington Public Buildings employees with keeping the town's machines in top shape. She said a half-dozen employees have been able to keep the machines running.
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