The Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors heard a request from the Democratic Executive Committee to reinstate the paper trail in the electronic voting machines at their Sept. 4 meeting. Circuit Clerk Sandra Willis said when the Diebold machines were first installed, the county paid for an addition of an attachment that provided a paper readout of the voter’s choices, but the machine additions did not work well and were discontinued. Willis said the $250 additions jammed often and most voters never asked for copies of their voting choices to be printed, instead reading them on the electronic screen and approving them. However, Willis also said the additions could be reinstalled if the board so chose. “It will cost you more money and more headaches,” Willis warned.
Democratic Executive Committee Chairman Gene Barton brought the request to the board on the behalf of committee members. “The committee wants what’s best for the county,” Barton said, adding that committee has concerns that voters don’t have a hard copy of their voting choices to examine. “They don’t want you to have to expend a lot of money, but every vote counts and if it costs a little more money to make sure of the votes, then it does.”
Full Article: chickasaw360.com – Democrats request paper trail return.