Old Ballots Still in Use in Idaho

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Story Published: Oct 3, 2008 at 5:33 PM MST

Story Updated: Dec 18, 2008 at 2:58 PM MST

By Hasti Taghi

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BONNEVILLE COUNTY - "I think Idaho seems to be behind every other state when it comes to new trends," says voter Chantelle Green.

And it's definitely behind when it comes to switching to the new voting system. Eight Counties are still using the old method.

" I think it's fine for now, but they should look at alternatives. I'm not worried about it," says voter Jill Huntsman.

The punch card method uses ballots with a peg to punch in your votes. But since the 2000 presidential election and Florida recount, almost the entire country switched to a scantron where you simply mark your vote with a pencil.

"It got a bad rap after the 2000 election. The widespread perception was that it was obsolete and didn't work," says Bonneville County Clerk Ron Longmore.

But that wasn't the real problem. To make sure your votes are counted correctly here, polling places make it simple.

Reporter: "What do you think the chances are of what happened in 2000 happening again here in Idaho?"
"I don't see that happening at all," says Longmore.

For Bonneville County alone, the cost of upgrading is extraordinary. At least two readers each costing 60-thousand dollars would be needed. Printing new ballots would cost more than 22-thousand dollars and shipping would be around six grand The federal government would pay for some of these costs but the county is responsible for the rest.

"If this system's not broke, why do we need to fix it?" says Longmore.

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