Lawmaker's suit seeks touch screen printouts

WEST PALM BEACH - Florida's voting machines came under attack again Monday when a lawmaker sued state election supervisors because new ballot counters lack a paper trail needed for possible recounts.

U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, said voters need to be assured every vote is counted, particularly in close races where a manual recount is required.

"Why doesn't Gov. Bush simply say, "Let's improve our Florida election system even more than we've done so, provide for certainty and provide for security and in case something goes wrong, have a backup?"' Wexler said after filing the lawsuit in federal court. "Then all Floridians ... can have confidence in our system."

The Department of State notified elections supervisors last month that manual recounts don't have to include ballots from Florida's new touch screen voting machines because they leave no question how voters intended to vote.

The computerized voting machines replaced the state's infamous punch card ballots, which produced the dimpled, hanging and pregnant chads at the heart of the 2000 presidential election controversy.

Wexler said the machines, which were expected to rid Florida of ballot controversies, have created new problems and violate the U.S. Constitution because only some Florida counties can accurately conduct recounts.

Indian River County Supervisor of Elections Kay Clem, president of the Florida State Association of Elections Supervisors, said the paper receipts are unnecessary because the machines already can print out an audit.

Palm Beach Elections Supervisor Theresa LePore, Klem and Secretary of State Glenda Hood are named in Wexler's suit.

A spokeswoman said Hood is "very comfortable with the equipment we have in place."

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