Montgomery County Offers Previews Of New Voting Machines
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA (CBS) -- Montgomery County is planning to replace voting booths this year and an event at Montgomery County Community College Saturday morning will give residents a chance to kick the tires of the potential replacements.
The current machines used in Montgomery County were bought in 1996, and while Commissioner Val Arkoosh says they still believe the machines are reliable and safe, the technology is outdated and the machines don't offer paper-ballot back-up.
Each of the 11 potential replacements do offer the paper-trail.
Akoosh says they vary from filling in dots on a paper ballot "and then feed that into a scanner. Other machines offer a touchscreen much like our current voting machines, except it's an electronic touchscreen."
Feedback from the open house will be used as the county takes the next step in putting together the contract to buy the new machines.
It starts at 10 a.m. Saturday at the community college, but Arkoosh says pictures and descriptions of the machines will be posted on the county's website for anyone who can't make it.
She says the money for the machines has been in the budget for the past few years, but with 425 polling places across the county, they wanted to make sure the state finalized its requirements before they made the final purchase.
