Maryland to Finish Statewide Voting Machine Rollout

Baltimore City, Md., will implement more than 1,900 touch-screen units to replace its existing 250-pound, full-face voting systems. The completion of the third phase of the uniform statewide Maryland election system project, initiated in 2002, will enable the entire Maryland electorate to use more than 18,000 Diebold touch-screen voting units. The agreement with the state of Maryland also includes maintenance and support services. Initial deployment of the voting stations in Baltimore City is scheduled for the 2006 election cycle.

A Cal Tech/MIT study conducted following the November 2004 general election indicates that the state of Maryland experienced the lowest voter error rate in the nation during the election, with Diebold Election Systems' touch-screen voting solutions installed virtually statewide. In addition, said a Diebold release, the study indicates Maryland voter error decreased by 40 percent when results from the general election in 2000 were compared to the general election of 2004, primarily due to the touch-screen system implementation.

The Help America Vote Act requires all voters to have the ability to cast their ballot with an equal level of privacy and independence. All Diebold touch-screen voting stations support voice guidance capability, enabling blind and visually impaired voters to privately make candidate selections and cast their ballots independently.