A Vote for High-Tech Voting

Election officials look forward to the day when Californians can cast their ballots by e-mail, but that day is a way off. Chief among the many problems of e-mail voting is the matter of security against fraud. But an interim generation of election technology is already here, and it looks promising. Riverside County is one of the pioneers in using computerized touch-screen voting terminals in polling places and is seeking state aid to fully computerize voting in the fall general election.

The touch-screen device, tested in several municipal elections, has been tremendously popular, Riverside Registrar of Voters Michelle Townsend says. The machine, similar to those used to make choices at some bookstores and ATMs, is fast and saves money. The Federal Election Commission and the California secretary of state have approved voting terminals produced by several different firms.

Townsend believes that a full-scale test in Riverside would demonstrate to the rest of the state the superiority of the system over the archaic punch card voting generally used in California. The Senate Elections and Reapportionment Committee has approved SB 1502, by Sen. David Kelley (R-Idyllwild), to appropriate $4.3 million to help the county buy the 4,000 terminals needed. The county would pay the other $9.8 million.

Kelley’s bill faces problems in the Senate Appropriations Committee because counties normally pay the full cost of running elections. But Registrar Townsend makes a compelling argument: “There is clearly a state purpose and benefit to having available more automated voting technology, which will improve accuracy, produce faster election returns, facilitate ease of use by voters and instill great confidence in the election process.” We agree.