State agrees to buy 600 more voting machines

The Nevada Board of Examiners on Tuesday approved the purchase of 602 additional electronic voting machines from Sequoia Voting Systems.

The state bought more than 2,000 of the machines for the 2004 elections. Chief Deputy Secretary of State Renee Parker said this contract uses up what will most likely be the last of the federal money for voting machine purchases under the Help America Vote Act. In the future, she said, counties will have to pay for additional machines to accommodate growth.

The cost of the additional machines is just under $2 million. Clark County will get 472 of the added machines. Clark already had an older Sequoia system and the success of those machines was instrumental in convincing Secretary of State Dean Heller to go with the company statewide. But Clark County received only a few of the machines in 2004. Most of the Sequoia machines in that county don't have ballot paper trail printers.

While the 472 new machines will help, Parker said, Clark still needs some 2,000 more new machines to completely update the county's voting system.

Another 72 machines will go to Washoe County.

Beyond that, Nye will get 15, Lyon 20 and White Pine and Churchill counties four apiece. Elko will receive six new machines, Humboldt and Pershing two apiece and Eureka three. Mineral and Lander will each get one more machine.

The remaining six counties didn't request more machines. But they will all receive such things as additional computer cards for the machines, extra printer units and other accessories.

n Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.

By the numbers

The state will buy 602 additional electronic voting machines from Sequoia Voting Systems. They will go to:

Clark - 472

Washoe - 72

Nye - 15

Lyon - 20

White Pine - 4

Churchill - 4

Elko - 6

Humboldt - 3

Pershing - 3

Eureka - 3

Mineral - 1

Lander - 1

The remaining six counties did not request more machines.