O.C. voting machines meet new requirements

By SORAYA SARHADDI NELSON
The Orange County Register

SACRAMENTO – Secretary of State Bruce McPherson announced today that he is imposing more stringent requirements on electronic voting machines used across California in hopes of boosting voter confidence and integrity of ballot counting.

The "Hart" voting system used in Orange County meets those requirements, McPherson said, although a state law he sponsored while he served in the Legislature will require the county to upgrade its machines next year.

The missing component is a printer generating a receipt similar to what customers might get at an ATM machine. The "paper trail" is a state requirement going into effect Jan. 1 that will tell voters if their election choices were recorded correctly.

"We must take these fundamental steps to guarantee public confidence in our voting procoess and accountability for its results," McPherson told members of the California Black Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon where he unveiled the new certification requirements. "The integrity of the vote is critically important and our state's voters deserve to have the confidence that voting machines are rigorously tested and are being analyzed by the best technical experts."