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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (May 3, 1972)
County considers computer card voting method Nearly all of Nebraska's voters will be using the standard paper ballot and pencil when they vote in Tuesday's primary election. However, Lancaster County is looking into purchasing a new voting method based on data processing cards and a computer. It's. nothing new for the county's voters. A similar method was tried in the 1968 primary election, according to former Election Commissioner Dean Petersen. "The trial didn't cost us anything," Petersen said. However, the county commissioners decided against the investment. Two of Nebraska's counties will be using the computer card voting method for the first time. ScotttEuff " and Lincoln (North Platte) counties will replace the group of numerous ballots which are marked by pencils with a booklet and stylus. The voters in those two counties will receive a data processing card from an election official. They then enter a voting booth where a booklet listing all the election races and issues is on the table. The "ballot" is inserted into the booklet with the voter going from page to page marking his preference. When voting for a candidate or issue a stylus is used to punch a pre-marked hole beside the name or "yes-no" decision. doily editor m chief managing editor newt editor ad manager coordinator berry pilger jim gray toart backer bill carver jerrj haunter The Daily Nebraskan rs written, edited and managed by students at the University of Nebraska Lincoln and editorially independent of the University faculty , administration and student body. The Daily Nebraskan is published by the CSL subcommittee on publications Monday. Wednesday. Thursday and Friday throughout the school year, except holidays and vacations. Second class postage paid at Lincoln. Nebraska 68508. Address: The Dairy Nebraska '34 ?Jcbreska Union Lincoln, Neb., 68508. Telephone game piaca PHASE ONE :MCHEAPIES" BECAUSE OF GREAT POPULAR SUPPORT THIS YEAR, WE PRESENT: MONDAY, MAY 1 -I LOVE YOU, ALICE B. TOKLAS (3, 5, 7, 5 pm Union Small Auditorium) WEDNESDAY, MAY 3 - VIVA MAX (3, 6, 7, . 8 pm Union Small Auditorium) THURSDAY, MAY 4 - PAINT YOUR WAGON (2, 6, 8 pm Union Small Auditorium) XI ;5V MONDAY, MAY 8 Selected torts with: Charlie Chaplin BSlr?"rFB W.C Fields Ui-flWm Abbott liCostello -end featuring THE REIVERS" (Begins at 7:30 p.m. Union Ballroom) (One showing only I) (wUNLLO.) WEDNESDAY, MAY 10 - CASINO ROY ALE (3, 5, 7, It 0 pm Union Small Auditorium) Xj AAU.N. Bill Davidson, Lancaster County election commissioner, said he will be contacting Scottsbluff and Lincoln County officials after the primary to "see what kind of success and problems they had." Davidson estimates such a voting method could cut the cost of an election by 40 per cent. A county-wide election currently costs $45,000 to $50,000. "Wages are a considerable amount of an election's cost," he said. Rather than using counting boards in each precinct the cards would be sent to one location and run through a computer. Results would be known in a matter of minutes if no complications occurred. Petersen said when Lancaster County tried the machines, "primarily they worked very well." He cited tiie initial cost for the county commissioners' decision not to purchase the units. "It was my judgment they would pay for themselves in five years," the former election commissioner said. Each precinct would have one booklet and booth for each 100 registered voters at a cost of $150 to $175 per unit. The trend away from using paper ballots, however, is nothing new. As early as 1892 the first voting machines were used for elections in New York. By 1S85, 65 per cent of the voters in the United States were casting their ballots on voting machines. Lever type voting machines were not instituted into Nebraska until 1 968. Three counties -Butler. Hall and Cheyenne-will be using voting machines in Tuesday's primary. Because of the lengthy ballot, Butler County was forced to place the long list of national party delegates on paper ballots. Iowa can trace the use of voting machines in one of its county's back to 1911. In the 1968 general election, 44 of Iowa's 99 counties were using voting machines. Those counties recorded 65 per cent of the state-wide vote. Ralph Englert, administrative assistant to the Nebraska Secretary of Stata, said his office is not urging counties to invest in new voting equipment "It's a county expense which must be approved by the county board," Englert said. He predicted more counties would be switching to the computer method rather than voting machines. Voting machines cost about $1,800 and are placed one for every 1 00 registered voters per precinct. Englert said The advantage of using voting machines over paper ballots is the availability of immediate returns and virtually no chance for errors in counting. Noting some precincts will we from nine to 12 separate ballots Tuesday, Englert predicted tome counting boards will t0 " throughout the night, possibly finishing by 8 a.m. the next morning. State law requires that once a vote canvas starts it must be continued. It also states counting can be started one hour after the polls open if 25 votes have been cast in the precinct. With the large number of issues and lengthy delegate list, Englert urged voters to "study sample ballots before they go." State law also states a voter must remain no longer than five minutes within the voting booth. "An informed voter can easily vote in five minutes," Englert said. Secretary of State Allen Beermann said most of the state's precincts wouid be employing the maximum of seven vote counters. In the past five have been used. Normally a precinct employs a total of 12 people for 13 hours with the five counters staying until all ballots are counted. When one of the newer voting methods is used, Englert said, the number of workers is reduced to about six people for 13 hours. Both Englert and Davidson said they are not just trying to replace personal help with machines. "We are trying to keep up with news media demands for immediate returns," Englert said of the new methods. Both agreed either the computer method or voting machine would reduce the counting error to virtually zero. East Union sponsors Cornstock II festival Six bands, featuring a variety of folk, rock and soul music, will provide continuous music at Cornstock II, according to Randy Rupe, East Union public relations co-chairman. The free concert will be from noon until nine Friday on the East Campus Mall. "Cornstock was a real success last year and East Union decided it should be continued," Rupe said. Rupe said student marshalls would be in charge of controlling the crowd. This eliminates the necessity of having Lincoln Police Department members petroling the event," Rupe explained. Approximately 3,000 people attended the musical festivities last year and a larger crowd is expected this year, according to Rupe. Groups playing at Cornstock 11 include Whale, Bumpy Action. Funk and Punch, Touchstone, Man vs. Man and Songbird. A-S.U.N. APPROVED NOTE: ALL ATTENDANCES REQUIRE UNL ID. CARD-SPONSORED BY YOUR Style No. 992P-2 WARM NYLON LINING WfATWft STRIPPED TO KEEP iN WARM AIR SLEEPING SAG ADULT SIZE POLYESTER FfBERFU! C5ed INSULATION FOR SLEEPING RAGS TYPE w fUU AU AROUND HEAVY DUTY RUSTPROOF ZIPPER double up 2 RAGS CAN SE ZIPPED TOGETHER ouAurr NYLON SHEU LIMCO 138 N. 11th now dosr to campus! 3 ran reus b mmm PAGE 2 THE DAILY NEBRASKAN WEDNESDAY. MAY 3, 1972 !BWSWfS(J