Touch-screens on hold until fall

By Jaime Castillo
San Antonio Express-News
Web Posted : 03/07/2003 12:00 AM

The county's new touch-screen voting system will not be used during early voting for the May 3 municipal election as previously planned, county elections officials said Thursday.
Several necessary software upgrades that emerged during the recent San Antonio River Authority election need state approval and have not been implemented, county Elections Administrator Cliff Borofsky said.

The delay is not expected to affect long-range plans to roll out the system for both early and Election Day voting in November, Borofsky and county officials told members of the San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board.

In the meantime, city voters will return to the familiar paper-ballot system that was slated to be replaced by the touch-screen machines. Last year, the county purchased 2,233 of the computerized balloting machines and other equipment for $8.1 million from Elections Systems & Software of Omaha, Neb. (The company controlled by Senator Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, and Michael R. McCarthy, his campaign Treasurer.)

Officials already had planned to use the paper ballots May 3.

County Judge Nelson Wolff said the issue will be discussed at Tuesday's Commissioners Court meeting. He said he supports the delay until after May to avoid a repeat of last year's general election, which took more than 30 hours to become official.

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