SUPPORT

Proposition 41 - Voting Modernization Bond Act of 2002

This measure allows the state to sell $200 million in general obligation bonds for updated voting systems. The money raised from the bond sales would assist counties in the purchase of new voting equipment that is certified by the Secretary of State. Prescored punch card voting systems are ineligible for funding. In order to receive state bond monies, a county must contribute one dollar of county funds for every three dollars of bond monies.

A new five-member Voting Modernization Board, created by the measure, would award the bond monies to counties for the purchase of new voting equipment that meets the required specifications. This board would consist of two members appointed by the Secretary of State and three members appointed by the Governor.

The funds allocated under Proposition 41 are also available to counties that have already made an investment in upgrading their voting systems. The purchase of the new equipment must have been made after January 1, 1999.

Fiscal effect: The Legislative Analyst estimates state costs of about $255 million over a period of about ten years to pay off both the principal ($200 million) and interest ($55 million) on the bonds. The measure would result in additional costs to counties that receive bond funds. First, the counties would incur one-time matching fund costs totaling about $67 million statewide. Second, counties would incur additional ongoing costs to operate, maintain, and store the new voting equipment, and to train staff and voters on how to use the new machines; statewide, these costs are estimated to be several tens of millions of dollars annually.

Under current law, counties may purchase and use any of three types of voting systems that have been certified by the Secretary of State: punch card, optical scan, and direct record electronic (touch screen) systems.

Punch card systems use computer punch cards upon which the voter indicates his or her vote choices by punching out holes. Optical scan machines require a voter to mark his or her selection on the ballot with a pencil or other approved marking device. Touch screen systems require a voter to select his or her options on a computer touch screen similar to an ATM machine.

Two of the three punch card systems found in California use prescored punch cards, where a voter punches out a prescored "chad" to indicate his or her vote. Prompted by Florida's controversial experience with chads in the 2000 election, the Secretary of State has announced that these systems will be decertified by July 2005. Prescored punch card machines are still being used by 8.5 million voters in nine counties, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Alameda, and Santa Clara.

Alameda County was already moving to replace the 6,000 punch card machines that it purchased in 1968, because it is impossible to find replacement parts for them.

Riverside County converted fully to a touch screen voting system in 2000. In November 2000, several other counties used touch-screen machines at certain locations for early voting during the absentee balloting period before election day. Optical scan systems were used by about 2.8 million voters in California in November 2000.

The Secretary of State estimates it will cost approximately $375 million to upgrade all of California's voting machines.

• Proposition 41 helps counties modernize their voting equipment. Many counties would acquire reliable optical scan and touch screen systems to replace outdated punch card machines. The goal is no chads in California!
• Innovations in voting technology provide significant benefits--including ease of use, accessibility, faster reporting of results, improvements in security and reduced costs. Touch-screen electronic voting systems provide ballots in multiple languages as required by law, without the expense of printing extra ballots. Some of the systems also allow disabled persons to vote by listening to recordings.
• Nine California counties, representing about 53% of the state's voters, are facing de-certification of their current voting machines by July of 2005. Many of these counties will be hard pressed to purchase new systems without the matching funds provided by this bond.
• Citizens need to know that their votes count. They need confidence that in a disputed election the results can be checked reliably.
• Modernized voting equipment will increase voters' confidence in our election system and boost participation.
• Proposition 41 requires that voting equipment purchased with bond funds must include paper audit trails to ensure the accuracy of any audit or recount in close elections.
• California's investment in voting technology will help prevent the costs associated with the kind of election dispute that occurred in Florida. The infamous "chad" could end up costing Florida tens of millions of dollars in legal fees, staff overtime, lost productivity and other costs.
• Federal legislation moving through Congress could provide approximately $108 million for California to upgrade its voting technology. This money could be used by counties to match Proposition 41 bond funds, greatly reducing or even eliminating the purchase cost to counties.

The rebuttal to the opponents' arguments was signed by Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg. Other supporters include California Common Cause, the California Public Interest Research Group, and the Congress of California Seniors.

Marion Taylor, LWVC Government Director, mtaylor@got.net

Anne Henderson, LWVC Legislative Director, annehenderson@worldnett.att.net

Yes on Prop 41, 1121 L Street, Suite 401, Sacramento 95814, 916-325-8600, mail@41-yes.org, www.41-yes.org

Editor:

On March 5, California voters can act to ensure that their votes are counted accurately by voting yes on Proposition 41, the Voting Modernization Bond Act.

Proposition 41 allows the state to sell $200 million in general obligation bonds to help counties replace outdated punch card systems with reliable optical scan and touch screen systems. No more chads in California!

Innovations in voting technology provide significant benefits--including ease of use, accessibility, faster reporting of results, better security and reduced costs. Touch-screen electronic voting systems provide ballots in multiple languages as required by law, without the expense of printing extra ballots. Some of the systems also allow disabled persons to vote by listening to recordings. A voter can review the whole marked ballot before taking the final action to cast his or her vote.

Citizens need to know that their votes count. They need confidence that in a disputed election the results can be checked reliably. Help ensure this by voting YES on Proposition 41.