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Decision Due On Vote System Disabled Haven't Vetted

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By MIKE SALINERO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 20, 2008

TAMPA -- Several groups that advocate for the disabled say they weren't given an opportunity to test new optical scan voting machines that were to be approved today by the Hillsborough County Commission.

The supervisor of elections office is recommending the county purchase machines from Premier Election Solutions at a cost of $5.75 million. The Florida secretary of state's office is providing $2.5 million toward the purchase. Elections Supervisor Buddy Johnson said one of the reasons his staff chose Premier was its capabilities for people with disabilities.

But several women with disabilities say they found out just this week that the commission was going to vote on approving the Premier purchase today.

"The disabled community represents a sizable portion of the population in this state; it is important that these people's opinions be heard," said Sandy Sroka, the county's Americans With Disabilities Act coordinator.

After hearing the representatives' complaints, Commissioner Jim Norman suggested the decision be delayed a week or two.

"I agree everybody should feel they're part of the process," Norman said.

Johnson's office put information about the machines on its Web site, said Jim Reed, deputy supervisor of elections. There also were legal notices in the media that the machines were to be considered by the county commission, he said.

Amy Maguire, a Premier representative, said the company is ready to demonstrate the machines' disabled voter capabilities "wherever and whenever."

The state decided last year that counties with computer touch-screen voting machines need to replace them with machines that provide a paper ballot. Hillsborough and other counties bought the touch-screens systems in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election.

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio was supervisor of elections the last time the machines were changed. Iorio put several types of machines in libraries and other public places so the disabled and other members of the public could try them out, said Sheryl Brown, rehabilitation services manager for Lighthouse for the Blind.

"You evaluated them and gave her your feedback," Brown said. "They had people there to take comments."

Louise Peyton, who is blind, and Gloria Mills, who has impaired vision, tried new machines today that were outside the commission chambers. Voting officials showed them how to put on earphones that give auditory instructions after they insert a ballot. Buttons to make choices are in Braille. For people such as Mills who can't read Braille, there are handheld devices with large raised arrows the voter can use to make choices.

"It's very nice," said Mills. "It does what you need it to do."

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