State official wants to phase out remaining punch-card ballots

By Paul Queary

Associated Press

OLYMPIA — The punch-card ballots that clouded the presidential election in Florida would disappear from Washington state polling places if lawmakers adopt a proposal by Secretary of State Sam Reed.

Reed, a defender of punch-card voting in the past, wants to phase out the old technology still used in 15 state counties by 2007 in favor of newer vote-counting methods. Clark, Thurston and Yakima counties are among those that still use the machines. Most of Washington’s 39 counties, including Snohomish County, have moved to optical scanners.

A bill backed by Reed would bring the state into line with legislation expected from Congress that would cut off some federal funds for states that refuse to jettison their punch cards. Congress is expected to include money to help counties upgrade voting systems.

"We really are positioning ourselves for the federal money to pay for this," Reed said Wednesday.

Punch-card machines are more prone to overvotes — choosing more than one candidate — and undervotes — choosing no candidate at all — than optical scanners, Reed said.

Punch-card voters punch out a small piece of paper on their ballots known as a chad. But sometimes the chad does not detach completely, causing machines to not record the vote. Such "pregnant" and "hanging" chads produced massive controversy in the tight 2000 Florida presidential election, where George W. Bush prevailed after the U.S. Supreme Court halted a statewide recount.

The exact cost of Reed’s bill isn’t known because it wouldn’t require counties to switch to optical scanners. Reed wants to leave open the possibility that counties might leapfrog that method in favor of all-electronic systems such as touch-screens.

In optical-scan balloting, voters fill out a paper ballot that resembles a multiple choice test, which is then fed into a scanner that tabulates the votes.

Reed said he passed on optical scanning technology when he was Thurston County auditor because he didn’t feel it was a big enough improvement to merit the expense.

"It’s up to the counties to decide what they want to do," Reed said.

The bill would go to the Senate State and Local Government Committee and the House State Government Committee.

Rep. Sandra Romero, D-Olympia, chairwoman of the House panel, said she plans to meet with Reed today to discuss the proposal. Senate State and Local Government Committee chairwoman Georgia Gardner, D-Blaine, did not immediately return a telephone call Wednesday.

Reed’s election reform package also includes:

Establishing a statewide voter registration database. Many people are registered in more than one county, and the current system leaves room for fraud, Reed says. The database would also allow the state to prevent convicted felons who have lost the right to vote from casting ballots.

Giving the secretary of state authority to review election procedures in every county every five years. A similar review was conducted in the early 1990s, but the program was discontinued to save money. Reed said the reviews could help avert a controversy like the 2000 Florida election.

Ending the practice of randomizing the order of candidates on partisan primary ballots. Reed and county auditors say the practice is costly and doesn’t have a measurable affect on election results.