New voting machines go on tour

Election officials are carting the new touch-screen devices all over Clearwater to teach residents how to use them before Tuesday's election. The consensus: They're easy to use.

By LISA GREENE, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 9, 2002

[Times photo: Scott Keeler] Veronica Spencer, left, of Sequoia Voting Systems of Oakland, Calif., shows county poll workers, from left, Renes Donaldson, Harriette Weller, Louise Bolton and Sandy McClure, all of Clearwater, how to use an electronic touch screen voting machine Friday.

CLEARWATER -- In a Morton Plant Hospital lobby Thursday morning, more than 100 people stopped to play with the mysterious black boxes with the bright electronic screens.

The same boxes made their way to Montego Bay Tanning Thursday afternoon, where only 15 people tried them out.

But the verdict on the new voting machines was the same at both places.

"It's wonderful," said Bonnie Rote at Morton Plant. "And I've never missed an election since I was old enough to vote."

"I found it a lot easier not to make a mistake on the machine," said Bonnie Natoli, owner of Montego Bay.

On Tuesday, 164 of the machines will be scattered across Clearwater, where voters will touch their fingers to the screens and cast ballots electronically for the first time ever in Pinellas County.

Over the past few weeks, the machines have crisscrossed the city as elections officials try to teach as many prospective voters as possible how to use the new machines. Deborah Clark, elections supervisor, said she's confident the election will be a success.

"It is going to go smoothly," she said. "There's no doubt in my mind."

By Friday, the machines had appeared at nearly 100 events in Clearwater alone, and elections officials estimated that more than 4,200 people tried them in the city. That's a small fraction of the city's 60,500 registered voters, but more than a third of the nearly 12,000 people who voted in last year's City Commission race.

But will it be enough?

Politicians, civic leaders and others give Clark high marks for trying to prepare voters in a short time. Clark hired a new staff member to coordinate voter events, contracted with public relations giant Hill & Knowlton to run a voter education campaign and sent office staffers and volunteers traipsing around the county, voting machines rolling behind them.

"It got to where you couldn't eat lunch without seeing them," said political consultant Todd Pressman.

Still, time has been short, and the machines remain unfamiliar to most city voters. The biggest question remains about two of the city's black precincts, where some local leaders said education efforts should have started earlier. In the presidential 2000 election -- when the old punch ballots were used -- those two precincts had some of the highest rates of voter mistakes in the county.

"I had a concern initially," said Talmadge Rutledge, former leader of the North Greenwood Association. "I think they were a little slow about getting into the Greenwood area."

But Clark's office has since held several events in both North and South Greenwood, and, while attendance at some events was low, Rutledge thinks there "shouldn't be a problem," especially since Clark's office plans to have practice machines at each polling place.

Ross Tieman is president of South Clearwater Citizens for Progressive Action, a neighborhood group whose boundaries encompass the South Greenwood area. Tieman said he thinks the machines will be a hit.

"As simple as it is, and with people at the polls (to help voters), I might be optimistic, but I just don't think it's a problem," he said.

For voters, that should be the bottom line. Not only do most people who have tried the machines find them easy to use, but Clearwater's ballot will be simple. With only two races on the ballot, each voter will have to touch the screen four times.

Pick one candidate. Pick another. Touch "next." Touch "cast your ballot." You're done.

"This was the easiest thing I've ever used in my life," said Lou Kubler, former president of the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club, after using a demo machine at a club meeting this week.

Poll workers may have the hardest job. Nearly 200 volunteers will work Tuesday's election, and they have to know not only how to use the machines, but also how to set them up and shut them down, plus answer voters' questions throughout the day.

But two of the poll workers who went through training Friday said handling the new machines is easier than working with the old punch card ballots.

"I'm kind of glad we're getting to go first," said Harriette Weller. "I think it'll be fun."

If you go

First United Methodist is at 37628 Church Ave. in Dade City. Services are held at 8:30 and 11 a.m. Sundays. Reservations are requested for the congregational dinner on March 16. The phone number is (352) 567-5604.

What voters say about the machines

THINGS THEY LIKE:

It's easy to change your vote.

You can't accidentally vote for two candidates.

You can review your choices.

THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR:

You need to touch the screen firmly.

Remember to insert your voter card completely and leave it there until you've voted

Remember to ask for help before you touch "cast your ballot."

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