Voting machines in 2002 primary criticized
Miami-Dade misled by firm, report says

The company that sold Miami-Dade the touch-screen voting machines used in the disastrous 2002 primary election misled county officials about the equipment and delivered goods that were ''hardly state-of-the-art technology,'' according to an inspector general's report obtained Wednesday by The Herald.

The draft report by the county inspector general's office following a seven-month investigation provides a critical account of the process leading to the $25 million purchase of a voting system that was expected to lead to trouble-free elections. Instead, the Sept. 10, 2002, election -- a national black eye for Miami-Dade -- was plagued with problems caused in part by the lengthy start-up time for the machines.

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The report says ES&S's sales team ''conveniently left out'' critical information about its product's capabilities and breached the terms of its contract. Even so, the IG's office recommends county elections officials keep the equipment.

''We have to learn to make do with what we have,'' the report concludes. ``Surely there will be upgrades to the system. However, [county] management should not be led blindly down the path of education by a vendor who turned the 2002 Miami-Dade County elections into a beta test.''

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