Touch-screen voting machines in Miami-Dade concern Penelas

[Freddie Stubbs]

By David Cázares
Miami Bureau Chief
Posted August 5 2004

Less than three years after Miami-Dade County spent $24.5 million on 7,200 touch-screen voting machines, Mayor Alex Penelas wants to know whether elections officials should scrap them.

Concerned that voters have lost confidence in the county's system of electronic machines after elections officials lost data from the disastrous 2002 primary, Penelas has asked County Manager George Burgess to determine whether the county should instead use paper ballots and optical scan equipment. His proposal drew a sharp rebuke from the head of the county's Election Reform Coalition, who said the county should not consider spending money on paper ballots when officials don't have time to test that system or train workers.

In a memo to Burgess on Wednesday, Penelas wrote that Supervisor of Elections Constance Kaplan has assured him that her department is taking steps to ensure the reliability of the county's elections. But the mayor said that he has doubts.

"Unfortunately, all of this continuing progress has and will continue to be haunted by our negative experiences in years past," Penelas said.

more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-dballots05aug05,0,3695685.story?coll=sfla-news-palm

[aquart]

1. Florida isn't in play. No matter what the people vote.

[flordehinojos]

2. Oh, Really?

That is all I have to say to Alex Penelas. Funny how his interest in the accuracy of the voting machines and vote counting awakens in him only when he is running for Bob Graham's spot to the U.S. Senate. Funny how it did not awaken a concern in him in the 2000 elections, the 2002 primaries nor the 2002 elections. Funny how he did not lift a finger to find out what happened to irregularities with machines, voting places, etc. in that 2002 primarires, which, had the machines been working right Janet Reno may have won the Florida Gubernatorial race against Bill McBride in the 2002 primaries, and if that had been the case, I am certain JEB BUSH WOULD NOT BE OUR GOVERNOR TODAY for Janet Reno would have beaten the tar out of him in the Gubernatorial Race and we would be having paper trace verified voting machines for our 2004 presidential elections.... Apparently for Penelas, he only feels the pain when it is his toe that is being stepped on.
}( :mad: :grr:

[nodictators]

3. They could have bought Op-scan Machines in 2001, for $5 million.

Instead, they bought the Chuck Hagel touchscreens for $25 million.
(Pardon me if I call the ES&S touchscreens by the name of a prominent US Senator who has or had a financial stake in ES&S).

Then there is this in the posted excerpt:

<Penelas'> proposal drew a sharp rebuke from the head of the county's Election Reform Coalition, who said the county should not consider spending money on paper ballots when officials don't have time to test that system or train workers.

Who are they kidding? Op-scan machines are much simpler and cheaper than touchscreens and require little training. In fact, precinct workers just turn them on and let the voters insert their ballots. What could be simpler?

[donsu]

4. Penelas seems to have loosened the grip the bushgang had on him

and his spine is hardening.

let's watch and see if he comes back into the sunshine or if the bushjebgang muzzle him again.

[flordehinojos]

5. I just wonder if Penelas is putting up a smoke-and-mirror show.

Don't forget he is a Cuban-American who in the past has needed the support of the Cuban-American pro-either-Bush-Brother-or-both but who is now trying to appeal to a larger Florida audience under his usual umbrella of Democrat--which has often translated into a Zell Miller type of democrat. I think he is still in the grasp of the bushjebgang,I think he is just changing the filter for his political run. We don't think he is going to get the seat. We think Betty Castor might be the one sitting in Bob Graham's place. We certainly hope so! B-)

[donsu]

6. you are probably right & I hope Castor gets it too

Penelas started out so good I thought he was going places and then the coup d'etat happened and he became another person.

[struggle4progress]

7. Hmm. Optical scan. Cheaper than touch screen. More accurate ...

... than touch screen. And they leave a paper record that can be independently verified.

Nah. Republicans can't support that ...