The Oakland County Clerks Association has requested a recall of the AutoMARK voting equipment by the State of Michigan until any inconsistencies in the equipment are resolved.
In a resolution that was passed in mid-December, the Clerks Association resolved that the equipment should be recalled until it operates ‘efficiently and consistently 100 percent of the time in the field.?
The AutoMARK equipment is designed to help those with disabilities vote without the help of another person present, but the machine can be requested by anyone.
The Clerks Association cited equipment failures on election days in both August and November this past year, in addition to test ballot procedures prior to poll openings.
Also cited was an upgrade installed prior to the November 2006 election that was tested by the State of Michigan, but ‘failed to prevent equipment failure, malfunction, inconsistency and inefficiency at the polls.?
‘It sounds like the neatest piece of equipment,? said Orion Township Clerk Jill Bastian of the AutoMARK machines, ‘But, for whatever reason, there’s a reliability issue.?
‘We just need to feel confident that the equipment is reliable,? she said of the Clerks? resolution.
Many municipalities across the county experienced election day problems, prompting the resolution. The problems in Orion, however, barely scratched the surface.
‘We lucked out,? Bastian said. ‘We really did.?
Nevertheless, Bastian said the township will do its part to stave off any future problems.
‘They’re asking that we take the resolution to our boards and adopt something similar,? she said.
The County Clerks? Resolution, along with any signed by the township, are to be forwarded to the state level.
‘My biggest concern is that tax dollars are being used wisely,? Bastian said. ‘The bottom line is you have to have one of these machines at every polling place.?
There are 14 polling places in Orion and Bastian believes that just three of the AutoMARK machines would be adequate until a demand is seen to add more.
‘It seems to me that would have been a better approach,? she said. ‘You accomplish the same thing but at a much lower cost.?
Bastian said the machines cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $6,000 a unit.
Technology, as a whole, has changed the amount of time election workers have had to devote to their efforts.
In addition to learning how to operate new machines, which takes lengthy training sessions, Bastian said workers have to routinely check the machines to make sure they are operating properly.
Many requirements came down from the federal level after the 2000 election, with five-year implementation guidelines in place.
However, Bastian said that Michigan was well ahead of the national curve, even in 2000, and Orion Township was as well.
The township started using optical scanning equipment as far back as 1993 and purchased some equipment of their own in 1996.
‘Our voters have had a pretty good understanding of it for the past 10 or 12 years,? she said.