South Carolina’s voting machines were purchased in 2004. For electronics, that’s old. Computer technology advances quickly and needs replacing frequently. Nevertheless, S.C. Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire and USC Computer Science Professor Duncan Buell believe that with caution, the state’s machines may get through this fall’s election with few problems.
Whitmire says the U.S. Election Assistance Commission will issue new voting machine standards in the next year or two, so the state is trying to hold off buying new machines until it knows what the new standards are. He said all the state’s machines will be deployed this year to avoid the long waits experienced by Richland County voters four years ago. Whitmire added that 2.25 million voters are expected at the polls in November.
