Voting machine approved

Friday, Aug. 31, 2001 | 10:24 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Secretary of State Dean Heller today approved the use of a new voting machine that permits the person to touch the screen to choose candidates and to select the language on the ballot.

The machine, manufactured by Sequoia Voting System, costs between $4,000 and $5,000 and can run higher if extras are added. Heller said this is the first "Touchscreen DRE" voting system to be certified for sale and use in Nevada.

Clark County Registrar Larry Lomax said he was "very impressed" with the new lighter and faster machine. Clark County uses units manufactured by Sequoia.

But Lomax said today he wants to make sure, before he decides whether to purchase the units, that they are compatible with the current machines.

Clark County has 2,186 voting machines manufactured by Sequoia worth about $10 million. But he has to add more as the population increases.

Lomax said he would meet with representatives of Sequoia at the end of September for them to demonstrate that the new machine is compatible with the present units.

Lomax and his staff were in Riverside, Calif., July 31 to look at how the new Sequoia machines worked in that election. And he said he was impressed. The tabulations were completed in about two hours after the polls closed.

Heller said he hoped that