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--> --> Secretary of state amazed by punch-card problems By Brad Cain Associated Press Writer SALEM - Secretary of State Bill Bradbury said Wednesday he's "amazed" by new state figures showing that Oregonians who vote with punch card ballots are much more likely not to have their votes counted than those who use other voting methods. Linn County has already decided to buy a different system, expects to take delivery by the end of the year and be ready to use it in the primary in May 2002, County Clerk Steve Druckenmiller said today. The state voting data could set the stage for a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union challenging the punch-card systems used in seven of Oregon's 36 counties as a violation of constitutional voting rights, Bradbury said. It also could spur the Legislature to find $1 million to help phase out punch-card voting in those counties by the 2004 presidential election, he said. "Every person has a right to have their vote counted, but this study clearly shows that a large number of people are being disenfranchised by punch-card voting," the secretary of state said. In the seven counties that still use the punch-card system, ballots cast by 2.29 percent of voters didn't show a vote for president in last November's election, the state voting figures showed. In the 29 counties that use ballots marked by pencil or pen that are fed through optical scanners, only 1.17 percent of ballots contained no vote for president. The study found similar results in Oregon's previous general elections in 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1998. Bradbury said the higher number of "undervotes" in the punch-card counties clearly indicates that people are having difficulty using the older voting system. Continued reliance on that technology leaves the state vulnerable to potential problems like those that occurred in Florida last year, he said. Bradbury and many lawmakers argue that it is especially important to eradicate punch cards in Oregon's all vote-by-mail system because voters often must refer to separate booklets to determine how to vote for a candidate. Further, they say, the likelihood of turning in ballots with dimpled or hanging chads is increased with Oregon's vote-at-home system because voters have to use whatever utensil they have handy at home to punch a hole in the card. The ACLU of Oregon will decide within a few weeks whether it will file a lawsuit seeking to throw out the punch-card voting systems still in use in Clackamas, Lane, Linn, Polk, Umatilla, Union and Washington counties. "The state's data shows pretty clearly that a certain percentage of voters are effectively being disenfranchised because they happen to live in counties that use punch card ballots," said David Fidanque, the ACLU's executive director. Bradbury has been lobbying the Legislature to provide money to the seven counties to help them switch over to optical scanning voting systems between now and the next presidential election. House Speaker Mark Simmons, for one, said he believes that lawmakers will find the money to do that before the 2001 Legislature adjourns. "We need to phase out punch-card voting. It is a high priority for me," the Elgin Republican said. Fidanque said he's not sure that whether legislative action would forestall a lawsuit by the ACLU. "Our lawyers' committee might not be satisfied with a bill that just phases things out over the next three years," he said. "Certainly, if the Legislature does nothing, the chances of us going to court are quite high." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing