County Commissioners Approve Optical Scan Voting SystemPinellas County voters will use a different kind of voting system in all elections after July 1, one that provides paper ballots and optical scanners. The change is a result of election laws passed by the state Legislature this past session. To comply with these new laws, the Board of County Commissioners approved the purchase of an optical scan voting system. The Voting System Evaluation Committee, appointed by commissioners, had recommended that the board accept a $5 million voting system bid from Elections Systems and Software, Inc. This price includes 400 digital scan precinct county scanners, 400 AutoMark Voter Assist terminals, three central count scanners, software, ADA accessories and ADA-accessible tables and training. It is estimated that another $900,000 will be needed for such items as servers, computers, software and voting booths, to be purchased at a later date. The state has provided $2.162 million in Federal Help America Vote Act funds. The remaining funds will come from General Government Funding.
|