High-tech election gear about to go?

[gristy]

SOME CLEAR THINKING IN FLORIDA? This is remarkable news.
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Even chads are looking good to Broward leaders, who are considering
dumping their electronic voting machines for a lower tech system.

BY ERIKA BOLSTAD
Miami Herald
Sep. 24, 2003

California counties under pressure to abandon punch-card voting may be able to pick up a bargain from Broward commissioners, who are now talking about getting rid of the county's two-year-old, $17.2 million touch-screen voting system.

After saying "so long, chad" and embracing touch-screen voting equipment, Broward commissioners are thinking about replacing their electronic equipment with an optical-scan system that leaves a paper trail.

"We might," said Commissioner Ilene Lieberman.

Commissioners want a report on how to retrofit their 5,200 touch-screen machines to print out paper records.

But, they reasoned, if the price is right, why not trade microchips for pencil and paper? At an estimated cost of $1,000 per touch-screen machine to add printers, some commissioners say they could sell off the high-tech system and buy the cheaper optical-scan equipment. It achieves the same result, commissioners point out: a paper record of votes.

MORE

[Noordam]

1. The Ass-wipe SoE and now mayor of Tampa pushed the

14 Million dollar Touchscreens without a paper trial over a 3 million dollar opt scan with paper trial.

The day Hillsborough County has to add a working printer it will cost them the 3 million that the whole opt scanners would have cost them in the first place.