Reply #10: Firm buys Napa's touchscreen machine maker [View All]

[MelissaB]

Firm buys Napa's touchscreen machine maker

Monday, April 4, 2005

By JAY GOETTING
Register Staff Writer

The way things work at the ballot box is changing, thanks to some significant moves on the statewide and even international levels.

The firm that makes the touchscreen voting machines used by Napa County voters has been sold by its European parent company, and California has a new secretary of state to oversee elections operations.

Sequoia Voting Systems, with headquarters in Oakland, makes the touchscreen machines used in the last couple of Napa elections. The British parent of Sequoia, De La Re, has sold it to Smartmatic of Boca Raton, Fla. for $16 million.

Napa County Registrar of Voters John Tuteur said, "Everybody's very positive about it. We've seen no break in service."

Although unrelated, the move comes as California's new secretary of state, Bruce McPherson, takes office, bringing a new approach to the state's voting practices. McPherson is a Republican and former state senator who was unanimously approved for the post by the state assembly last week.

More: http://www.napanews.com/templates/index.cfm?template=story_full&id=BE3195FE-E9AB-48D1-A322-730500B5822C