Voters will have the opportunity to cast their votes on Diebold AccuVote-TSX touchscreen voting machines. One unit will be at each of the 42 county polling places and one at the Yuma County Recorder's Office, mainly for use by disabled voters, in accordance with the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

"From the voter side, I think it's really easy to operate," said Yuma County Elections Director Patti Madrill.

Madrill said voters, who are not disabled, can request and be granted a chance to use a touchscreen machine, as long as no disabled people are waiting. She expects that there will be people who are interested in trying them out.

The county's current optical scan voting machines read ballots that are filled out by hand, record the votes on a memory card and then transmit the votes by modem to the elections department. The Diebold machines also save to a memory card and transmit the same way, but they use touchscreens to record the votes.

The biggest concern with electronic voting machines is security against fraud. A recent study by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School found that all electronic systems on the market, both optical scan and touchscreen, have significant security and reliability vulnerabilities. The study also found that the vast majority of states have not implemented election procedures or countermeasures to detect a software attack.

"As electronic voting machines become the norm on Election Day, voters are more and more concerned that these machines are susceptible to fraud," Michael Waldman, the Brennan Center's Executive Director said in a release. "In fact, we've learned a lot from our study. These machines are vulnerable to attack. That's the bad news. The good news is that we know how to reduce the risks and the solutions are within reach."

Madrill said several questions have been raised, but to her the most important issue is physical security. She said the key is to train poll workers well and ensure that no one has the opportunity to tamper with the machines.

Foothills resident Steve Phlegar opposes electronic voting. He said the biggest problem is there is no way to know if the system or proprietary software has been compromised. "It's very naive to think that the system will not ultimately be tampered with, and a paper trail is not a complete solution,î he said.

Phlegar said the right way to do the job is counting hard copies of votes.

The Diebold machines create a paper record of the votes that are cast on them.

When a person has completed their voting, a cash register tape prints out how they have voted. The voter can read the tape and if they find their choices are accurately listed, they can touch the screen again to officially cast their ballot. The tape then rolls up out of sight into a locked canister.

The memory cards inside the machines are locked and sealed. The data port on the machine is also behind a locked door, and the machine is connected to the phone line only after the polls are closed.

In order to use a machine, a voter must receive an access card from the poll workers. These cards are programmed to be used once on a specific machine.

Madrill said the machines have no wireless technology, so they cannot be infiltrated in that manner. She knows that some people will not like the machines or will believe they may lead to fraud. For this reason, she is far from convinced that all future voting will use touchscreens.

"There's still a lot of controversy with these machines," she said.

Utah used 7,500 Diebold touchscreens in its June 27 primary. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that voters found the equipment surprisingly easy to use. No accuracy errors or fraud incidents were reported.

Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer has certified the machines for use in voting. A lawsuit requesting an injunction against the use of the touchscreens was dismissed last week. "This new voting equipment is safe, secure, accurate, and most importantly, accessible to those with disabilities,î Brewer said in a release.

Madrill said the touchscreens are better for voters because it can save them from mistakes they tend to make on ballots they fill out themselves. If people vote for two candidates for a single office, their vote for that office is not counted. However, with the touchscreen, voters aren't allowed to choose more than the correct number of candidates.

The machine has headphones and a numbered keypad with Braille, so the blind can vote. The screen also can provide large text and high contrast for people with poor vision.

Yuma County appears to be on track for fulfilling the requirements for HAVA. However, a report by the National Research Council released this month revealed that many jurisdictions are either unprepared to meet standards or are concerned with whether the new voting processes will work smoothly.

The committee that created the electronic voting report said jurisdictions must ensure there are backups in place if there is a large failure. They recognize the problems poll workers face in adjusting to the new machines.

"(A)ny 'flash' cutover to new technology (such as we are seeing today with many e-voting systems) almost guarantees surprises and unintended consequences (e.g. system crashes, unacceptably slow performance)," the report said.

Madrill hopes the county doesn't have those problems, but she won't know until Election Day. She is interested to find out how much the touchscreens are used. Anyone who wants to practice on the machines can come into the Elections Office at 198 S. Main St. to use a demonstration machine.

"I don't know what to expect," Madrill said. "We may have some where there are no votes on it."