FL: AutoMark Certification Delayed

[Wilms]

Volusia County touch-screen voting in limbo

February 03, 2006

By JAMES MILLER
Staff Writer

DELAND

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A plan to put a disabled-accessible, all-paper ballot voting system in place for this year's elections appeared to be in deep trouble Thursday following a state announcement that it cannot yet certify some of the necessary equipment.

Voters still would be able to use paper-ballot equipment, but it would be deployed along with touch screens for voters with disabilities -- a development a dedicated pro-paper lobby has fought to avoid.

On Wednesday, the chief of the state's Bureau of Voting Systems Certification forwarded a memo to elections officials telling them that the disabled-accessible, ballot-marking device known as the AutoMARK could not be certified because of problems with multiple-page ballots.

Since state officials anticipate the use of lengthier ballots in the future, County Chairman Frank Bruno said he would recommend the county stick with its current vendor -- and save almost $2 million -- if it turns out AutoMARK can't handle the longer ballots.

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http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/EastVolusia/evlEAST02POLL020306.htm