Voting electronically in Cass County

by Kevin Lilly
Pharos-Tribune staff writer

September 06, 2007 10:47 am

— Forty new electronic voting machines arrived Wednesday morning, and Cass County Clerk Linda Crimmins and a team of county employees spent most of the day unpacking each one and giving it a test run.
“We’re gearing up for the city election,” Crimmins said.
Crimmins received assistance in the battery testing and practice run from a representative of Hart-Intercivic, the company providing the voting machines to the county.
Features of the new machines include large buttons, easy-to-follow directions next to the screen and the ability to review one’s choices before casting the electronic ballet. There are also canvas partitions for privacy. The county acquired six handicap-accessible voting machines, as well.
Crimmins says there is not much difference in the new machines compared to the 20 provided by Voting Technologies Inc., or VTI, the company that sold 20 voting machines to the county and then could not be reached for technical support.
“The voting machines are very similar,” Crimmins said. “They are just as easy to use as the old ones were. The biggest difference is instead of touching the screen you would dial to the candidate to vote it.”
A large dial is located below the screen. It allows voters to scroll through the choices, which become highlighted on the screen.
Practicing for the coming city election is not over for county officials. They will be holding a mock election this month to create a ballot and familiarize themselves with the process.
Crimmins says the 40 machines in five locations are enough to handle the city elections in Logansport, Royal Center and Galveston this year and potentially the entire county in other elections if the voting center concept is approved by the state and then the county commissioners.
In the past two months, the voting machine system got a positive recommendation from the commissioners and final approval by the county council. The system, which cost $212,200, was paid for from funds provided through the federal Help America Vote Act.
Crimmins said the reason a new system was needed is because the company providing the previous voting system was unreliable. Getting customer support was also hit and miss, Crimmins said. County commissioners agreed with the county clerk that it was time to walk away from VTI.
A public demonstration of the new voting machines is required by state. Crimmins says the public will get a glimpse closer to the election. As for locations, the Cass County Election Board has held the test in the County Government Building.
In addition, Crimmins is accepting invitations to perform demonstrations for local organizations. She said they have already been to the Senior Center and a Rotary Club meeting.
For a demonstration
• To set up a demonstration before the election this fall, call Virginia or Karen at the Cass County Clerk’s Office, (574) 753-7870.
Voting machine locations in Logansport
• Cross Winds United Methodist Church, 616 N. Ind. 25
• Benjamin Long Center, 101 N. Cicott St.
• Riverside Park Pavilion, 1212 Riverside Drive
• River of Life Church, 130 Mall Road
• Knights of Columbus Hall, 1007 17th St.
Kevin Lilly can be reached at (574) 732-5117, or via e-mail at kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com

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