Secretary of State wants money to upgrade voter system in Iowa

Secretary of State Chet Culver is recommending a series of improvements in the state’s election system. Culver wants four million dollars to upgrade the computer system that handles voter registration records and another half million to train precinct workers who handle ballots on Election Day.Culver wants up to a million to print voter guides, plus he wants a new commission to examine the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on recounts in Florida. Culver says there are some antiquated voting systems around the state. For example, 131 precincts in seven Iowa counties still use lever machines, which can’t be fixed as the machines are too old. Culver says now is the time to discuss how Iowa’s electoral process can be improved. Culver says the recommendations he submitted to legislators today were an outgrowth of the public hearings he held around the state in December and January.