For some blind Californians, tomorrow's primary election will be the
first one where they can vote independently and privately for the first
time in their lives, thanks to new touch screen technology.  The article
below has more.

Kelly



The Associated Press State & Local Wire

February 24, 2002

Touchscreen machines allow the blind to vote unaided

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. For the first time, visually impaired voters in
San Luis Obispo County will be able to cast their ballots with privacy.

The acquisition of new AccuVote machines, part of a new county polling
system, will allow voters to listen to a slate of candidates and make
their choices by touching a computer screen. For an estimated 52,000
voters who can't see, the new system means increased independence, said
Kitty Crockett, outreach coordinator for the Braille Institute.

"It's very exciting to know that there's a possibility that the next time
I vote, I'll be able to go in there and independently cast my own
ballot," said Sue Reese, a Los Osos resident who is blind.

In the past, visually impaired voters needed a family member, election
official or friend to help them cast their vote, whether they were using
absentee ballots mailed to their homes or voting at a polling station.

For the March 5 election, they can vote in complete seclusion.

Reese said she hopes more ballot systems will become available for the
blind. But at $3,500 each, the machines' cost means that the county
likely will not stock many of them at polling stations, said county clerk
recorder Julie Rodewald.

Officials in Jefferson County, Ky., also plan to use the machines in
upcoming elections and they've been used in communities in Tennessee and
Texas.


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