Oakland County, Michigan August 7, 2006 -- When people ask me how Tuesday's election will go, my first response is this: "Hug your local city and township clerk."

In the last year, clerks across Oakland County have worked and trained hard to implement the new voting system they were required to purchase by the federal government.

Congress, after the "hanging chads" controversy in 2000, wanted immediate change and passed the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

It hasn't been an easy road.

While our federal leaders had good intentions, they handed down impossible deadlines, creating a huge, instant demand for new voting systems. In the rush to fill orders, I believe the quality/design of some of the equipment has suffered.

"With most problems, there's research, guidelines and then money...with HAVA, it was money, guidelines and the research is continuing," said one U.S. Election Assistance Commission spokesman. "It's a challenge for everyone, unfortunately, states and locals are on the front lines."

It was a classic case of putting the money -- $3.9 billion -- before the horse.

In the May 2nd election here in Oakland County, for example, new voting machines broke down or experienced problems. Of 502 machines used in that election, clerks reported that 79 of them - 15 percent - experienced problems ranging from printer failures to LED screen failures. New machines came with parts installed backward. There were memory card problems. That's simply too high for brand new, state-of-the-art equipment.

Voting system companies, apparently overwhelmed, have been slow to provide service. There have been serious programming errors and repair delays. Problems have been experienced throughout the country, but through it all, your local city and township clerks have trudged forward.

All Michigan machines have verifiable paper ballots, unlike some other states that are using strictly electronic systems. Critics allege those machines are vulnerable to hackers.

As a result of our local clerks' diligence, voters shouldn't notice too many differences at the polls Tuesday. But there are a few changes:

• Voters will fill out an oval to indicate their choices.
• The new machines may jam so some local election workers may be opening ballot boxes to pat down ballots or remove them to locked bins. We've suggested they have both a Republican and Democrat on hand and make a public announcement about why the procedure is being done.
• Every polling location, under the new laws, must have a voting machine for the visually impaired or the disabled. They are known as AutoMARKS and have "sip and puff" straws, Braille pads and headphones. Any voter may use them.
• Delays. While I don't expect widespread problems, there may be some delays in line if machines need to be swapped out. Oakland County communities have a total of 1,100 voting machines, including 450 brand new AutoMARKS. We've asked for and received extra technical help from the manufacturer to minimize those delays. While our office does not conduct elections, we are responsible for gathering election results and the Oakland County Board of Canvassers audits the votes. We anticipate there may be some delays in reporting results.

We have back-up systems in place, additional technical support and have done everything we can in our office to advocate for the local clerks, including advising federal and state election officials about the problems local clerks have been experiencing.

Changes need to be made on the federal level. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission is only now getting authority over certifying and decertifying voting machines.

With just 22 employees, they need the resources to clean up some of the mess that has been created. There must be a central clearinghouse to receive complaints. Success of the federal reform - the most sweeping in decades - has to be measured to make sure it's working. Vendors have been put in a tough position, but they must be required to provide adequate staff and provide accurate programming, parts and service in a timely, efficient manner.

Whether those changes will come, I don't know, but I believe they are critical to the Democratic process in this country.

I do know this, local clerks are committed to making the system, as it is, work. On August 8, your vote will count, even if a hand-count is required, which I don't anticipate.

The integrity of this election will be preserved.

Get to the polls Tuesday, between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. and let your opinion, your choice, your voice, be heard.

(Ruth Johnson is the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds. Contact her at clerk@oakgov.com.)