Those choices will be on some of the new voting equipment state elections officials are touting during a mock election today from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the South Towne Mall in Sandy to gather input on which new voting devices Utah should purchase.
Two of the systems use optical scan technology and two are touch-screen devices. Voters will be asked to fill out surveys about their experiences with the equipment.
Election officials plan to decide on a system sometime this summer, and some of the new devices probably will be used this fall in a few municipal elections. All of Utah's punch-card technology may be tossed in favor of a new system next year.
Utah will be one of the last states to make the switch from the punch-card machines to a newer type of voting equipment, a move encouraged under the federal Help America Vote Act prompted by the Florida fiasco in the 2000 presidential election. Congress has given Utah about $25.5 million for a new voting system, most of which will go toward new machines.
Some critics say optical-scan systems are not as good as electronic versions because they leave some of the voter's intent in question, particularly if part of the circle they must fill in is instead left empty. 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.
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 requirement would boost costs if the state goes for touch-screen machines. According to the Elections Office, adding a printer to each of those machines raises the cost by $3 million statewide, a bill the state and counties would have to pay.
But if Utah buys touch-screen devices with printers, the elections office estimates the cost will be $28 million total. In addition, some counties, such as Salt Lake County, say they will need more machines than what the state assumes are required. Counties probably will have to pay those additional costs.
tburr@sltrib.com
Vote today!
Utah residents who are or will be 18 by Nov. 8, can stop by the South Towne Mall in Sandy today from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and try out four different voting systems in a mock election to test the equipment. You need not be registered.
