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."
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