Reply #6: Senate votes to end touch-screen voting [View All]

[Melissa G]

Senate votes to end touch-screen voting
BY GARY FINEOUT
[e-mail]

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida is on the verge of doing away with touch-screen voting in favor of paper ballots, after the state Senate voted overwhelmingly Friday to pay for optical-scan machines and House leaders said they are optimistic they will agree next week.

The change would be in place for the 2008 elections in all 15 counties that use ATM-style machines -- including Miami-Dade and Broward -- for all voters except the disabled, who would still use touch-screen machines until 2012.

The move to voting machines that produce a paper trail is a priority for Gov. Charlie Crist. The House has been reluctant to approve paying the $28 million cost, but is getting some powerful incentive from the Senate: The bill also calls for Florida to make its '08 presidential primary one of the earliest in the nation, on Jan. 29 -- one of the top items on House Speaker Marco Rubio's wish list this year.

The 73-page bill, which passed the Senate by a 37-2 vote, includes several controversial provisions: Election-law violations would be harder to prosecute, third-party groups that register voters would be subject to fines, and groups pushing constitutional amendments would face additional hurdles.

http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/89301.html