May 1, 2007 - Ballot-system purchase might not fly

Paper: Desert Sun, The ( Palm Springs, CA)
Title: Ballot-system purchase might not fly
Date: May 1, 2007

By Nicole C. Brambila

The Desert Sun

The Riverside County Registrar's Office is plodding along with the $700,000 purchase of a new absentee ballot system despite a security review that could make the buy obsolete.

"We're considering all of those factors out there in the election environment right now," said Registrar Barbara Dunmore.

In March, Dunmore requested proposals on an optical scan machine that would be compatible with the county's electronic voting system. Supervisors will consider the executive office's third quarter budget report at its meeting today, which includes Dunmore's appropriation request.

As reported Monday on thedesertsun.com, Dunmore would not say whether she would hold off on voting equipment purchases before knowing whether it will meet state standards.

"It could be throwing good money after bad," said Tom Courbat, executive director of SAVE R VOTE, a Temecula-area community watchdog group that oversees Riverside County elections.

In other election news, representatives with Sequoia Voting Systems on Wednesday will give a presentation the county's Election Review Committee, tasked with looking into voting efficiency and security.

No independent evaluation has been conducted on the security of the county's Sequoia Voting System machines.

Supervisors appointed the five-member committee in December, to look at voting issues following a string of mishaps during the November election. Committee Chairwoman Kay Ceniceros did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

Courbat said he intended to bring a computer expert to the public meeting.

In 2000, Riverside County was among the first in the nation to use direct-recording electronic voting.

Riverside taxpayers have twice paid for the conversion to electronic voting in 2000 and again in 2006 at a cost of more than $19 million because of growing concern over security that has triggered greater state regulations.

Glance: If you go

What: Sequoia Voting System presentation to the Elections Review Committee

When: 8 a.m. today

Where: 2724 Gateway Drive, Riverside

Author: Nicole C. Brambila

Section: LOCAL

Page: B3

Dateline: Coachella Valley