Touch-screen voting machines contract OK'd

A $9.27 million contract to buy more than 4,500 electronic touch-screen voting machines was approved Tuesday by the Nevada Board of Examiners.

The contract wasn't finalized with Sequoia Voting Systems until just before Tuesday's meeting. Because of that, Secretary of State Dean Heller said his office doesn't yet have signed copies from the company.

But he and Chief Deputy Renee Parker said they and Nevada's county election officials need the contract approved as soon as possible to get the machines ordered and on their way to Nevada.

The other two board members, Gov. Kenny Guinn and Attorney General Brian Sandoval, agreed to approve the contract on the condition they receive the final contract from the company with no changes.

Heller wants every county in the state using electronic voting machines in this year's September primaries and November general elections. Now the only issue is whether the voter verifiable paper-trail printers will be tested, certified and installed in time.

Heller has said he believes voters should be able to review how they voted on paper before pushing the final button and that he won't allow most counties to use the touch-screen machines until the printers are installed and approved.

Clark County has an exemption from that requirement because the county has been using electronic voting machines by Sequoia for several elections.

If the printing units can't be certified in time, Parker said the state will use Optiscan voting machines like those now used in Washoe and eight other Nevada counties.

For the seven counties which now use punch card voting machines, Sequoia would be required to provide Optiscan machines. Those counties include Carson City and Douglas County.

Contact Geoff Dornan at nevadaappeal@sbcglobal.net or 687-8750.