Noelle Barton, Maryland Gazette

Oct. 1, 2003

Thanks to a directive from the governor's office last week, Rockville will move ahead with plans to continue use of electronic voting machines that an academic study panned this summer.

In a memo to Mayor Larry Giammo and City Council last Friday, City Clerk Claire Funkhouser said Rockville would be able to meet critical deadlines required for the Nov. 4 election.

The State Board of Elections, Funkhouser said, stated in its opinion that "management and operational requirements can and will be met so as to fully assure the integrity of the voting process for all voters, including those with disabilities."

Safety measures Rockville will implement include having:

*A majority of elections judges with experience on the machines.

*Hands-on training with machines for the judges.

*An audit log added to the procedures consisting of the polling place's chief judge accounting the number of ballots cast vs. the numbers shown on the machine to assess any discrepancies.

*Additional technical support at the polls from the company that invented the machines, Diebold, as well as the city's Information Technology staff.

Montgomery County Board of Elections staff and its director continue to help Rockville and other municipalities holding elections this year in dealing with the situation over the electronic touch-screen voting machines.

Show me the moolah

Those info-hungry readers hoping to see some numbers in this column today reporting campaign finances of the eight City Council and two mayoral candidates may be disappointed.

Because the city earlier listed Oct. 1 as the filing deadline for the first financial report due for the 2003 election season, at least one candidate, Mayor Larry Giammo, thought he had until that day.

Later listings, including the one in the election calendar included with information packets given to each candidate, called for the reports to be in by close of business Monday.

Seems others followed the message in the candidate information packets, with all but one council candidate, Lih Young, and Giammo turning in their reports by Monday.

Those not willing to wait the week to see it in this space may follow the initiative of one councilwoman, Anne M. Robbins, and stop by City Hall to peruse the filings.

Coming up

*The communities of Hungerford and Lynwood were expected to hold the first televised debate Tuesday evening at the Elwood Smith Center. The debate ended well after Gazette press time, but initial coverage can be found by afternoon today at www.gazette.net.

*A non-televised debate sponsored by the Alliance of Rockville Citizens and moderated by the League of Women Voters will be held at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 14 in the County Executive Office Building's conference room, 101 Monroe St. in Rockville.

*The Rockville Senior Center will hold a candidate debate from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 28, now the last date on the calendar to hear all candidates in public before the election one week later.