MAY 6, 2004

Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land today announced that the first purchase orders have been placed for the new statewide optical scan voting system.

About 200 of Michigan’s more than 1,500 cities and townships are moving forward this year to replace their outmoded voting equipment. The upgrade brings greater convenience and consistency to Michigan’s election process. Michigan’s move to optical scan inoculates it from the recent controversy centered on touch-screen voting systems.

"This is a significant step in taking Michigan’s elections to a higher level of excellence," Land said. "Optical scan is a proven system that incorporates the safeguards necessary to ensure election integrity. We’ve worked closely with our local partners to ensure that voters and election officials are well served. Michigan is investing in democracy, and the payoff benefits everyone."

The Secretary of State is expediting the purchases to accommodate cities and townships wishing to have the new systems in place for the August primary and November general elections.

Michigan is paying for the equipment with a portion of its federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funds. The state negotiated contracts with the election equipment vendors to fully fund optical scan tabulators and provide election management system software, training and maintenance and service for up to three even-year election cycles. The Secretary is committed to ensuring that the locals were not burdened with unnecessary costs.

Optical scan is a natural fit for Michigan, Land said. According to the Information Technology Association of America, more than 90 percent of voters have expressed confidence in optical scan systems – making it one of the most trusted systems for casting ballots. About two-thirds of the Michigan’s 5,305 precincts already use an optical scan system. Voters and election workers are very familiar with how to vote and manage the system.

Other advantages of optical scan include:

• Providing a tangible document trail that can be used in the event of a recount.
• Giving voters a ballot that can be reviewed before it is cast.
• Faster compilation and reporting of election results.
• Consistency between absentee ballots and ballots issued at the polls.
• Notifying voters when errors are made on the ballots and providing the opportunity to cast a new ballot to correct the errors.
• More effective voter education because only one system is involved.

Optical scan is one of five different voting methods used throughout the United States. All are currently used in Michigan, sometimes within the same county. Voters moving to a new jurisdiction are often forced to learn a new system.

Jurisdictions receiving new equipment this year have been using punch card, mechanical lever, paper ballot or central-count optical scan systems. Not all systems will be replaced this year. Some jurisdictions are delaying their purchases until next year. However, all outmoded equipment must be replaced by the 2006 elections.

The State Administrative Board approved certification for two vendors in April. Diebold Election Systems and Election Systems and Software are supplying the voting systems this year.

Conditional approval also was granted to Sequoia Voting Systems. Sequoia must obtain proof of software certification from an independent testing authority before selling its system in Michigan. It is expected to accept orders for the 2005 election cycle.

Land announced in August 2003 that Michigan is adopting a precinct-based optical scan system. Optical scan equipment lets voters indicate their ballot choices on a paper form by marking designated areas with a pen or pencil. Under the precinct-based system, voters insert their completed ballots into an electronic tabulator. The tabulator reads and stores ballot totals, and alerts voters to potential problems, such as voting for too many candidates in a particular race. The paper ballot is then channeled into a storage bin where it remains until the polls close.

> A list of jurisdictions replacing voting systems this year is available.

Related Content

> Michigan HAVA Web site
> Federal Election Commission HAVA Web site