Fate of $25M e-voting system in Miami-Dade dangling
Ongoing technical glitches have prompted elections officials in Florida's Miami-Dade County, famous for the hanging-chad controversy in the disputed 2000 presidential election, to consider scrapping a US$25 million investment in the county's electronic voting system in favor of optical scanning gear.Ongoing technical glitches have prompted elections officials in Florida's Miami-Dade County, famous for the hanging-chad controversy in the disputed 2000 presidential election, to consider scrapping a US$25 million investment in the county's electronic voting system in favor of optical scanning gear.
Miami-Dade now uses touch-screen iVotronic machines from Omaha-based Election Systems & Software Inc. (ES&S) that was installed in 2002 to remedy flaws in the paper-based system. After a special election last month -- during which a glitch left hundreds of votes uncounted -- and the subsequent resignation of the county elections supervisor, officials in Miami-Dade County are considering their electoral options.
"Quite frankly, if you talk to a number of people, they have lost confidence and are cynical about whether their votes count," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez. "That has to be changed. We need to do something where we can restore the confidence of the people in the electoral process -- and that boils down to the equipment. The equipment is problematic."
http://www.pcwelt.de/news/englishnews/109811