[VoteRescue] lucky Denton Co. gets paper ballot option!

[Jenny Clark]

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/localnews/stories/DRC_Paper_Ballots_1015.11397d91e.html
Paper pushed on voters

Local party leaders urge use of printed ballots

07:14 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 15, 2008

By Bj Lewis / Staff Writer

The general election is three weeks away, and the leaders of both 
major Denton County political parties are urging voters to choose a 
paper ballot when they head to the polls to ensure that their vote 
will count.
"Our citizens face many troubling and complex issues these days. 
Whether or not your vote counts should not be one of them," said 
Democratic Party Chairman Neil Durrance.
Dianne Edmondson, the Republican Party chairwoman for the county, agreed.
"In the event of a recount due to a close race, or for any reason, 
the paper ballot provides the physical and tangible proof necessary 
to assure that each vote counts and the will of the people at the 
ballot box is carried out," she said in a joint party news release.
Whether in early voting, which begins Monday, or on Election Day Nov. 
4, voters should be asked if they want to use a paper ballot or the 
electronic computerized voting station, the release stated.
"We strongly urge each voter, be they Democrat, Republican or 
independent, to use a paper ballot," the two leaders stressed in the 
news release.
Durrance and Edmondson predict the largest voter turnout in the 
history of Denton County and note that many races - both local and 
statewide - could be very close.
"The integrity of the election process itself should never be in 
doubt," Edmondson said. "But without a voter-verified paper trail, 
there will always be some questions in a close race as to accuracy of 
the outcome."
"Voting is the highest and most noble calling of any citizen in a 
democracy," Durrance said. "It is also the most powerful tool in our 
great nation. Use a paper ballot and make sure your vote counts."
Paper ballots will be available at the polls for people who want 
them, said Don Alexander, elections administrator for Denton County.
"But the problem is - if a lot of them go in and request paper 
ballots - we may run out of them," he said.
Normally in an election, 60 percent vote electronically and 40 
percent on paper, and the elections office plans for that, Alexander 
said.
There should not be any worry about the reliability of the electronic 
system, he said, adding that the machines all have a triple backup 
system.
"There's a backup system to each type [paper or electronic] and a 
paper trail on each one," Alexander said.
BJ LEWIS can be reached at 940-566-6875. His e-mail address is 
blewis at dentonrc.com .
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