Reply #17: Albuquerque Tribune [View All]

[LeahD]

Here are some excerpts from the Albuquerque Tribune, January 7. 2005....

Machines eyed for APS/TVI vote
Clerk awaiting OK to use at least 300

Bernalillo County residents who vote early in the Feb. 1 school district election won't have to use a paper ballot, the county clerk says. The county has machines available, said County Clerk Mary Herrera.

Last week, Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron advised clerks statewide to hold off on erasing data from the voting machines used during the Nov. 2 general election because of a pending lawsuit over a recount request in the presidential race.

Vigil-Giron said she expects the state Canvassing Board to resolve the machine dilemma next week.

Herrera said she is late in preparing for school district voting because she's waiting to hear from the state as to when she can start clearing the machines.

"It's really putting us behind," she said.

So, Herrera said, if she can't clear at least 300 machines by Tuesday, she will seek a court order to do so.

If she doesn't get an approval to clear the machines, she said she is looking into buying new cartridges for a total of about $60,00 or renting voting machines for roughly $750,000 if cartridges aren't available.

(As a newbie to DU, I'm not sure how to post the link for the article...I haven't posted the complete article, just what I thought to be pertinent.)