Madeline
Rawley, of the Coalition for Voting Integrity, asked at Wednesday's county commissioners meeting if even more machines could
be rented to avoid long lines at the polls. Election Director Deena Dean said she's not aware of plans to rent more machines,
plus New Jersey-based supplier Electec, Inc. told her there aren't any left to rent anyway.
Dean said after the meeting she believes the county will have enough machines to handle
the election.
High turnout for the primary election, where 712 machines were used, prompted election
officials to consider renting more for the Nov. 4 general election. At their meeting Wednesday, county commissioners approved
spending an additional $148,900 – including $28,000 to rent 80 machines – to cover Election Day costs. Money for
maintenance and wages for registrars and other Election Day workers made up the bulk of the additional spending.
On Tuesday, with data still coming in, the number of registered Bucks
County voters was 444,761 and rising. There will be 826 machines at polling places on Election Day, with
four stationed at county buildings and 15 set aside in case of malfunctions. One voting machine per 538 voters is enough to
satisfy a state statute the county attorney has said requires one for every 600.
Dean expects that the number of registered voters is close to complete, but information
is still coming into the elections office, she said.
In 2006, the county bought 765 Danaher electronic voting machines for about $3.8 million.
Questioning the reliability of those machines and Bucks
County vote totals, a lawsuit was filed in Commonwealth Court
on Wednesday by Tom Lingenfelter, an independent candidate for both the 8th Congressional District and the state's 143rd District.
Lingenfelter would like to take electronic machines out of the picture altogether and
is suing the commissioners in hopes that Commonwealth
Court will force Bucks
County to use paper ballots in the upcoming election. The county's computerized system "is incapable of
providing a means for a valid recount," said the lawsuit, filed jointly by Lingenfelter and Bill O'Neill, an independent candidate
for state representative in the 178th District.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-10162008-1606305.html
