Public Invited To Assess Proposed Electronic Voting System 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ROSALYN LEVER Registrar of Voters Mailing Address: P.O. Box 11298 Santa Ana, California 92711	REGISTRATION & ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT 1300 South Grand Avenue, Bldg. C Santa Ana, California 92705 (714) 567-7600 TDD (714) 567-7608 FAX (714) 567-7627 www.ocvote.com	PRESS CONTACTS: Bob Pinzler 310-994-6054 Diane Thomas 714-834-6203
PUBLIC INVITED TO ASSESS PROPOSED ELECTRONIC VOTING SYSTEM
Santa Ana, September 18, 2002 - Starting next week, county residents will be able to view and give feedback on selecting a new electronic voting system to be in place for the 2004 election cycle. Registrar of Voters Rosalyn Lever today released a schedule of nine public meetings, beginning September 23, for the public to help assess the finalists in the selection process. The goal is to provide county voters with the most up-to-date electronic voting system in the nation. "While we haven't had problems in the past, the 2000 election gave us a clear indication that we needed a new system to assure voters that every final count is accurate and secure," said Lever. "We are taking the lead in California in bringing new technology to voting." After the 2000 election difficulties in Florida and elsewhere, California Secretary of State Bill Jones ruled that all Counties needed to replace outmoded punch card systems and adopt new voting systems by the 2004 election. Through Proposition 41, voters statewide made available the funds to implement the necessary changes. Orange County is among the first to take advantage of these available funds. The Registrar of Voters has made public input a centerpiece of the final selection process. "These meetings will provide the opportunity for members of the public to try out the various systems and provide their input to the County's evaluation committee," said Lever. Special meetings are being set up for seniors and for the various language groups in the county to make sure these systems meet their specific needs. The meetings will last for two hours and any member of the public is welcome to attend any meeting. It should take only about 20-30 minutes to try out the different machines. The schedule: Week 1 M 9/23 San Juan Capistrano 7-9pm La Sala Library, 31495,El Camino Real Tu 9/24 Fullerton 7-9pm Hunt Branch Library, 201 S. Basque W 9/25 Mission Viejo 7-9pm Saddleback Room, 200 Civic Center Th 9/26 Los Alamitos 7-9pm Community Center Activity Rooms 2-3, 10911 Oak St. Week 2 M 9/30 Westminster 7-9pm E/W Room, 8200 Westminster Blvd. Tu 10/1 Santa Ana 7-9pm Southwest Senior Center, 2201 W. McFadden Ave. W 10/2 Costa Mesa 7-9pm Harper and Fairview Seminar Room, 1845 Park Ave. S 10/5 Brea 11am-1pm Civic Center - Library Lobby, One Civic Center Circle Week 3 T 10/8 Orange 7-9pm Main Library, 101 N. Center St.