County supervisors authorized negotiations with a new, purely
electronic voting contractor Tuesday, but will also ask the state
to allow a pilot program that produces a paper record of each vote
in upcoming elections.
County supervisors authorized negotiations with a new, purely electronic voting contractor Tuesday, but will also ask the state to allow a pilot program that produces a paper record of each vote in upcoming elections.
The strategy is meant to allow the county to meet a federal mandate to implement electronic voting by the March 2004 presidential election while addressing concerns about proper safeguards in the new system.
County staff wanted a decision from supervisors this week so the county would have enough time to comply with a federal court order that requires it to replace its punch-card system with electronic voting by the March 2004 election.
But at the same time, several prominent computer scientists and voting experts have raised security concerns over the prospect of a purely electronic vote that does not produce a paper record for voter inspection.
Tuesday, supervisors voted 3-2 to authorize negotiations with Oakland-based Sequoia Voting Systems as the preferred vendor to implement the new system on a recommendation from county staff. Supervisors Jim Beall and Liz Kniss dissented.
