Friday, August 24,
2001
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No new voting machines for Fulton By JOHN
THOMPSON An effort by Fulton County Commission Chairman Mike Kenn to speed up election reform failed last week. Kenn's proposal to lease optical scan machines for 2002 was defeated by a 4-3 partisan vote, according to Kenn spokesman Michael Harris. "All the Democrats voted against it," he said. The Democrats on the board are Emma Darnell, Bill Edwards, Nancy Boxill and Karen Webster. The Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections recently submitted a report to the County Commission detailing the benefits of an optical scan system. The report indicates the punch card voting system currently in use does have a high incidence of spoiled and blank ballots and recommends a change to a system that will ensure that all ballots in the county are counted. Since it takes at least six months to put a new system in place, the election board recommended the county go forward with an optical scanning system that would be ready for next year's elections. While not ruling out electronic touch screen voting in the future, the board does have reservations about the system. "It should also be noted that certain members of the board remain uncomfortable with electronic voting equipment not only because of its higher residual vote rate, but also because of a growing digital divide that exists with minority voters," the report read. The report recommends the county lease 287 optical scan voting machines at a cost of $600,00. But the Commission turned down Kenn's efforts and Harris said there is a big loser in the vote. "The citizens of Fulton County who have called for election reform are the losers," he said. Since Kenn's vote was defeated, he cannot bring the matter back before the board, so Harris does not know if Fulton County will have to wait for the state to initiate its voter reform plans.
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