Jun 12, 2007 10:09 pm US/Eastern
Miami Dade Moves Toward Paper Ballot Voting
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MIAMI (CBS4) ―
The Miami Dade Commission took the first step Tuesday to replace their ATM style touch screen voting machines with ones that scan paper ballots.
Earlier this year, state lawmakers voted that all precincts must have the optical scan paper ballot machines after concerns were raised about the accuracy of the touch screen machines.
Our news partners at the
Miami Herald report Miami Dade, which still owes more than $15 million on its touch screen machines, will now have to come up with $12 million as an upfront payment for the new paper ballot machines.
In order to defray the costs of the new law, the state will kick in approximately $5 million to help pay for the new machines. The will also try to sell the county's touch screen machines which could potentially bring in even more money.
In addition to purchasing the new machines, Miami Dade will also have to buy new voting booths, or fix up their old ones. They'll also have to purchase all the supplies needed for the paper ballots, including the paper ballots, and then pay to have poll workers trained on the new machines.
According to the law, the new paper ballot machines must be in place by July 1st, 2008. In Miami Dade, the touch-screen machines will still be in use for Florida's January election which could include property tax reform and slot machines, along with a presidential primary.
((© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this repo)
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