Voting machines OK'd for early voting in primary

Carson City's "Testing and Accuracy Board" has certified 16 new touch-screen voting machines for early voting, which begins this week.

Voters in the Capital will get their first chance to try out the new, high-tech voting system beginning Saturday.

A panel of four volunteers went through an extensive series of tests Thursday to confirm the machines not only accurately record votes cast but total them properly.

"I've got a very positive attitude toward it," said member Dave Bernard. "But, to tell the truth, I wasn't concerned about the punchcards we had. For 20 years I worked for IBM and punch cards paid your Social Security, registered your vehicle and did everything else with no problem."

"But it looks like they made them pretty user friendly."

He and the other members of the committee - Mike Curtis, Frank Holub and Bob Lawson - put the machines through a series of 19 different function tests. Directed by Carson City Clerk-Recorder Alan Glover and his staff as well as experts from Sequoia Voting Systems, they checked all the machines for any possible problems.

Rick Barron of Sequoia pointed out that, even if there is a problem with a machine, the votes cast on it can be accurately recovered. He said the votes are recorded three different ways - in a computer memory inside the machine, on the memory card, which is removed to do the vote count at the end of the night, and on the paper printer attached to the side of each machine.

"On the whole, I think it should go easy," Curtis said.

Glover said those 16 machines will be used during early voting for primary elections. The city has several dozen more of the machines that will be certified and rolled out election day for both the primary and general elections.

Contact Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.

ELECTION CALENDAR

• Tuesday:

Last day to register for primary elections. Carson City Elections office to stay open until 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.

• Saturday - Sept. 3:

Early voting by personal appearance.

• Sept. 7:

Primary elections. Booths open 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

• Oct. 3-Oct. 12:

Register to vote for general election by personal appearance. Registration closes at 9 p.m. Oct.

12.

• Oct. 16-Oct. 29:

Early voting by personal appearance.

• Nov. 2:

Election Day. Booths open 7 a.m.-7 p.m.