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Get Ready For Optical-Scan Voting

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By ELLEN GEDALIUS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 21, 2008

TAMPA - The old lever machines are long gone. We all know what happened with the punch cards and hanging chads. And now the touch-screen machines are relics, too.

Get ready for optical-scan voting.

Voters next month will use Hillsborough's new $6 million optical scan voting system, previously used locally only in a Plant City municipal election.

The shift comes as a result of a contested 2006 Sarasota County congressional race. Touch-screen machines were used but didn't record all the votes cast. That prompted the state Legislature to pass a law last year requiring any county using touch-screen machines to switch to optical scanners by July 1.

The optical system will provide a ballot paper trail.

Hillsborough is using machines made by Texas-based Premier Election Solutions, formerly Diebold Election Systems.

Palm Beach County ran into problems last month when the elections office launched its optical-scan system. About 700 votes went uncounted on election night but were preserved on voting machine cartridges.

Polk County has been using some form of optical-scan equipment since 1988. Elections Supervisor Lori Edwards said Polk has been happy with the system.

"There is an unquestionable paper trail," Edwards said. She added: "Everyone is comfortable with a pencil and a piece of paper."

Reporter Ellen Gedalius can be reached at (813) 259-7679 or egedalius@tampatrib.com.

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