This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Posted: 12:31 PM- Commissioners in Davis and Utah counties cast their vote today against a federal effort to overhaul elections.
The commissioners supported a measure opposing House Resolution 811, which could force Utah counties to scrap their new electronic voting machines.
Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., is proposing the change to ensure that voting machines produce a durable paper record.
Utah's new machines - which cost about $27 million - provide a paper trail, but the printouts may fall short of the "durable" standard Holt envisions.
County clerks across the state are balking at the bill, and county commissions - like Davis - and councils are considering resolutions formally opposing it.
State and county election officials argue Utah's system works fine and needs no federally mandated reforms.
"We have the paper trail based on these machines," Utah County Commissioner Larry Ellertson said, "and the acceptance has been very high by the voting public."
But the Web site for the grass-roots Utah Count Votes criticizes the state's current system, calling the current printouts flimsy and insufficient as a verifiable record.