http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/2892058/detail.html

Updated March 3, 2004

Registrar Of Voters Apologizes For E-Voting Debacle

Malfunction Caused By Faulty Voter Cards

SAN DIEGO -- Voting machines proved problematic in San Diego Tuesday primarily because of the cards used to activate them, NBC 7/39 reported.

More than 200 polling places had to turn away voters who showed up at 7 a.m. Tuesday. Polling station volunteers reported that they could not get card activators to work, although they had tested fine the night before.

The San Diego registrar of voters apologized for troubleshooting that took up to two hours. The office dispatched over 200 troubleshooters to help the poll workers.

"I regret any delays for voters out there," said Sally McPherson, of the registrar of voters. "Some voters were trying to vote first thing at seven this morning and get to work. At this point in time, we'll be open till 8 p.m. and we're looking at the possibility of extended hours."

Still, voters expressed frustration with the system.

"If you can't punch a hole in a piece of paper, I think a computer system is quite a quantum leap from that," said Jeanne Ritchie, a Rancho San Diego resident. "I don't think there's anything wrong with papers in the first place."

Super Tuesday voters in other states experienced a different kind of glitch involving devices called encoders that are inserted into touch-screen voting machines to customize them for a particular election and location. One Maryland precinct received a neighbor's encoders by mistake, while a Georgia county apparently forgot to program them, it was reported.

A record number of voters were expected to cast e-ballots for the first time as 10 states held Super Tuesday primary contests. As many as 6 million registered voters were casting ballots on touch-screen machines in California, which was conducting its first statewide elections without any punch-card machines.

Machines built by Ohio-based Diebold Inc. were used in all three states.

Copyright 2004 by NBCSandiego.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.

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