 "Photo: Maegan Burr")
Initially, the idea of replacing punch cards with electronic voting machines sparked fear among some Utahns who thought the system wouldn't work or could be hacked to skew elections.
Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert said since the machines were introduced in late 2005, voters have come to like touch screen voting.
"A lot of people were skeptical -- Is this going to work? Is it going to crash?" he said.
Herbert gave a rosy description of the Utah election system during a talk at the Hinckley Institute of Politics on Tuesday. The Utah Constitution charges the lieutenant governor with overseeing all state elections.
Herbert said despite the skepticism, 98 percent of voters polled liked the machines more than punch cards. He said the machines have also helped to encourage early voter turnout.
"We've raised the bar when it comes to elections," Herbert said.
Bobby Sakaki, a senior political science major, asked Herbert about the potential for the machines to be hacked like government websites.
"I can tell you that's not too probable," Herbert said.
He said the machines are more like a "glorified counting system" and are safe because they are not connected to the Internet and are stored in locked areas. Although the system is not "fool proof," he said the state has people working to combat those who would tamper with voting machines.
"We're trying to stay one step ahead of the game," Herbert said.
Utah was required to replace the punch card system after Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002.
Herbert said meeting the demands of the law has been difficult because states were not given money to meet the costs that come with acquiring new voting machines.
"I don't know that they appreciated or understood ongoing costs associated with this mandate," Herbert said.
Though the machines are expensive, he said the change is justified.
"It may cost a bit more, but it's worth it," Herbert said. "It's the cornerstone of our democracy."
