AZ: Hand-Count (Audit) Bill May Get Hearing - Response to DRE Concerns

[Wilms]

Hand-count Vote Bill May Get Hearing

Plan responds to concerns about touch-screen tallies

By Daniel Scarpinato

06.20.2006

Coming on the heels of local concerns about election accuracy and Pima County's purchase of $2 million in touch-screen voting machines, a proposal likely to be considered by the Legislature this week could help ease those fears. The measure would subject Arizona elections to automatic hand-counted audits — something currently illegal in the state.

The bill — which Rep. Ted Downing, a Tucson Democrat, has been instrumental in drafting — also would require areas of rapid population growth to have an adequate number of voting booths and workers.

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A proposed amendment to the original bill also would require that the machines provide "a durable paper document," since some of the machines use ATM-style paper that could fade.

"It's a step in the right direction, but we have a long way to go," said John Brakey, co-founder of AUDIT, a Tucson group that is raising concerns over the machines.

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The law's provisions:

● In every election, each county would have to hand-count votes from at least 2 percent of precincts chosen at random. In Pima County, that is about 10 precincts.
● At least four races, also chosen at random, would be counted.
● If the hand-count deviates significantly from the machine tabulation, a second hand count would be done.
● If there is still a discrepancy, another recount using twice as many precincts would be done.
● If the discrepancy still exists, the entire jurisdiction would be recounted.
Although Pima County election officials could not be reached for comment Monday, Johnson said Brad Nelson, Pima's elections director, and officials from rural counties had been involved in drafting the legislation.

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http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/134383