The State Elections Office plans to host a mock election on March 30 where registered voters or those who will be old enough to vote this year can try their hand at four different voting devices, one of which will end up in a polling place near you by next year's primary election.

Utah will be one of the last states to make the switch from the controversial punch-card machines to a newer type of voting equipment, a move encouraged under the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) prompted by the Florida fiasco in the 2000 presidential election. Other states have junked the stylus-and-card method in favor of new-fangled electronic touch-screen devices or an SAT-test-like optical scan system, where voters fill in dots to choose candidates.

"We've been one of the last ones to get on board and a lot of people think that's wise," Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert told The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board on Monday, noting that it's better to wait for the newest technology. "It's important we make the best decision at the latest time."

Herbert is the state's chief election officer.

The mock election, planned for the South Towne Mall in Sandy, will feature four different pieces of equipment from two vendors who bid for the state's $20.5 million contract to provide the new devices. Two devices on display will be touch-screen versions while two will be optical scan. Voters who try out the machines will be asked to rate their experiences and that rating will count toward the final decision.

Some critics say optical scan systems are not as good as electronic versions because they leave some of the voter's intent in question. For example, does a partially filled circle mean the voter wanted that candidate?

But some technology experts also have criticized the touch-screen devices as vulnerable to hackers or insiders who could rig the machines to elect a certain candidate.

But Utah lawmakers mandated during the recent legislative session that each machine provide a voter-verified paper ballot that would ultimately count as the real vote.

That way, a voter could see on paper that his or her ballot was cast as intended.

The lawmakers' requirement, though, is going to boost costs if the state goes for touch-screen machines. According to estimates from the elections office, adding a printer to each of those machines will boost the cost by $3 million statewide, and that's a bill that the state and counties will have to foot.

To implement the requirements of HAVA, Congress has given Utah about $25.5 million, most of which will go toward the new machines.

But if Utah buys touch-screen devices with printers, the elections office estimates the cost will be $28 million. In addition, some counties, such as Salt Lake County, say they will need more machines than what the state assumes are required. Counties likely will have to pay those additional costs.

tburr@sltrib.com

Utahns can help decide on balloting method

* Touch-screen voting: Voters cast ballots by touching the name of the candidate for whom they want to vote on a computer screen. After selecting all the candidates, voters cast their ballots and the machine spits out a printed copy that the voter checks and then deposits in the ballot box.

* Optical-scan voting: Voters choose candidates by penciling in circles similar to an SAT test. When finished, the voter can insert the ballot into a machine to check it, then place it in a ballot box.