Election officials try to quell disagreements over voting machines

Secretary of State Dean Heller extended an olive branch to county election officials Friday, saying it's time for both sides to stop arguing over the new voting machines and work together to prepare for this year's elections.

"We need to tone the rhetoric down," said Heller, who earlier this week had a very public argument with Carson City Clerk Alan Glover outside city hall. "I take part of the blame and I kind of want to extend to you an olive leaf."

Heller pointed out there are already court challenges to the November elections filed in Florida and preparations to follow suit in several other states. He said there is even talk of a national recount "and not one vote has been cast."

"This is going to be a tough election," he said.

Glover agreed the state and counties need to change the tone of the discussion and work together. "Because you're right - this is a very important election."

But Heller said that doesn't change his decision that no one but Clark County can use the new touch-screen voting machines unless they have a printer that lets voters confirm their ballot. Clark is exempt because the county has been using the Sequoia electronic touch screen voting machines since 1996. They are new to all 16 other counties.

Both Heller and Chief Deputy Renee Parker said they are confident the printer units will be certified and delivered to Nevada in time for the September and November elections. She said Sequoia officials have told her they only need "a couple of weeks" to build them once they are certified. And she said the state is making plans to have its own expert certify them - likely within the month.

The printer units are designed to allow voters to confirm on paper the ballot choices they make on screen. Clark elections director Larry Lomax said with or without printers, the machines are "excellent" and will be well accepted by voters once they use them.

The state this week agreed to a $9.3 million contract to buy 1,935 new electronic voting machines. Added to the 2,926 machines Clark has, that will bring the total number in use for this year's elections to more than 4,800 and make Nevada the first state to go completely electronic with printers designed to let voters verify the machine recorded their ballots properly.

The printer units aren't required by law but a bill is now before the U.S. Senate that would require them in response to public demand.

The problems between Heller's office and the clerks who conduct Nevada's elections focus on his ruling that the new machines must have the printers or not be used this year. Heller has said repeatedly that voters are demanding those printer units.

Clerks including Glover, Douglas County's Barbara Reed and Washoe Election Division Director Dan Burke say the printer unit isn't certified and is delaying the conversion process.

"It's not whether we use touch screens," said Burke. "It's whether we have this voter verifiable system that's never been used anywhere in the United States before."

Reed said if the printer units delay delivery and certification of the new machines until July or August, clerks will have real problems getting ready in time.

"Even now, normally at this point in time I have a lot of things done I haven't even started this year," she said, citing ballot layout, election worker instructions and the number of machines in each location. And she said extensive education will be required for poll workers as well as voters to use the new system.

Douglas and Carson City have been using punch cards like those blamed for many of the problems in Florida during the 2000 presidential election.

Several clerks said this year will be especially difficult because, in addition to the new machines, there have been numerous changes in election law imposed by the federal Help America Vote Act along with changes in Nevada law including one that pushes the end of voter registration back to just four days before the start of early voting.

But they too said the bickering isn't getting the job done.

"We're partners in the election process," said Burke. "Somehow that's been forgotten along the way. We need to work through the issues together."

Glover and Heller said they think the issues will be resolved and the new machines certified in time for delivery and use this year.

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