Cook County and Champaign County voting committees are both hoping to replace punch card ballots with either an optical scanner or a touch screen by 2006.

Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden has been looking into an alternative voting method to punch cards for the last three years. Accuracy in counting ballots and convenience for voters are some of the main reasons for the push toward a newer, computerized voting system.

But the county is facing a tight budget until 2006.

"We have had a deficit of $1.5 million for the last two to three years," Shelden said. He said getting the necessary $500,000 for new voting equipment will take time.

Shelden said he does not think the number of registered voters in Champaign County, about 100,000 people, would change with a new voting process.

Although the county receives some state funding, Shelden said it is not enough for all the necessary equipment.

Champaign City Councilman Tom Bruno said "there is a potential for error in all systems," so a change would not necessarily improve accuracy.

Most voting polls have anywhere from 500 to 800 voters, but some have only 100, which is not a large amount to count, Bruno said.

"The society is just becoming impatient," he added.

Scott Burnham, director of communications with the Cook County Clerk's office, said Cook County is likely to move from using punch card ballots — which they have used since 1976 — to a new system by 2006, if the money is available.

"Both the optical and touch screen have pros and cons," Burnham said. Because the Cook County ballots are especially long, he said it would be difficult to accommodate all candidates on a single ballot, as well as create a bilingual one.

"There are still many questions that remain," Burnham said.

Cook County will receive federal funding through the Help America Vote Act, established after the Federal Election Reform Bill passed last October.

The act frees federal dollars for training election judges, implementing new means of voting, and replacing and upgrading procedures, Burnham said.

At this point, the federal government is uncertain about the amount of money they plan to give, he said.

After the money is approved, the Cook County Board will choose a method.

An exhibition of the optical and touch screen voting technologies will take place on October 23rd and 24th at the McCormick Place in Chicago.

Andrew Erskine, government affairs committee chair for ISG, said he questions whether the new methods would be worth the cost.

"I assume students can punch the right holes," Erskine said.