Election Reform Bill

When you exercise your right to vote beginning in the fall of 2008, there will be some significant changes to the process due to new elections bill HB537 which was signed into law by Governor Crist on May 21, 2007. HB537 represents one of Governor Crist's key initiatives by requiring that all Florida counties that currently use touch screen voting machines transition to an optical scan voting system which utilizes a paper ballot.

Unlike the touch screen machines presently used in Palm Beach County, when voting on an optical scan system the voter will mark a paper ballot with a pen next to the candidates of choice. The voter will then feed their ballot into a scanner where the vote will be counted and the ballot will automatically be deposited into a sealed ballot box. Counties must transition to the optical scan system by July 1, 2008 except for disabled voters, who must by 2012 have access to an optical scan system that meets the disabled voter requirements specified in the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Funding mechanisms for the purchase of these machines provided in the bill give the counties an option to use an allocated portion of $27 million appropriated from the Help America Vote Act.

In order to receive these funds, counties must authorize procurement of the new equipment and the sale or exchange of the old touch screen equipment to the Secretary of State. The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners has voted to accept these terms in order to receive $4.9 million of the Federal funding. The Supervisor of Elections office has requested from the County $2.7 million for additional conversion costs. The Board of County Commissioners will take this request into consideration during the remaining budget workshops.

Another important provision is this bill moves the Florida Presidential Primary date up from the second Tuesday in March to the last Tuesday in January. This change places Florida's primary behind only New Hampshire, Iowa and Nevada, which may provide Florida with more influence in the presidential nominating process. The bill also authorizes municipalities to move the municipal elections date in order to coincide with the new presidential primary date.