Office of the Pennington County Auditor
                                        Julie A. Pearson, Auditor
                                           Election Division
                                       Pennington County Courthouse
 315 Saint Joseph Street * Rapid City, SD  57701-2892    Telephone (605) 394-2153   Fax (605) 394-6840

                                                                                 www.votepennco.com
                                             News Release
                                        For Immediate Release
                                            March 22, 2006

                            NEW VOTING MACHINES AVAILABLE FOR DEMONSTRATION 
                                AT THE PENNINGTON COUNTY AUDITOR’S OFFICE

RAPID CITY, SD – Julie A. Pearson, Pennington County Auditor, is pleased to inform the voters 
of Pennington County that the new electronic voting machine or ballot marker, called the 
AutoMARK, is available for demonstration at the Auditor’s Office the week of March 27 to 
March 31, 2006.

The AutoMARKS were purchased to comply with the new federal Help America Vote Act 
(HAVA).  One AutoMARK will be placed at each polling place.  HAVA is the federal legislation 
intended to assist local governments in improving the election and vote counting procedures.
    
Pearson says,  “We are very excited about finally having the ability to offer voting in privacy to 
any voter with a disability.  The new AutoMARK will allow any person with a disability to cast a 
ballot without any outside assistance for the first time in South Dakota history.  This new 
technology marks the ballot by simply touching a screen.”  She adds, “voters will continue to use 
the same paper ballot they have become accustomed to since 1987.  But at the polls, the voter 
will get to choose between marking the ballot with a pencil or with the new touch screen 
AutoMARK.”  

At the end of election day, Pearson stated, “This new system will allow processing and counting 
of the ballots more quickly yet still provide the accuracy and security of a paper ballot trail.”  

Julie Pearson and her staff invite the voters to their office March 27th through March 31, 2006 to 
personally view and operate the new touch screen AutoMARK voting machines. 

Julie A. Pearson
Pennington County Auditor