California Secretary of State Debra Bowen will discuss with county clerks and registrars of voters the changing election landscape and the future of the state’s electoral system.

“Demands for increased transparency and services, shrinking government budgets, and technological advances that outpace elections laws and regulations have combined to challenge what many thought were ‘permanent’ solutions developed as part of the 2002 help America Vote Act,” Bowen said in a news release.

“Many in California and across the nation are ready to move in a new direction. The question is, what should Californians seek in the next generation of voting equipment and how can new products truly serve the interests of voters?”

In 2007, Bowen restricted the use of electronic voting machines citing tampering concerns following a security review. Riverside County is permitted to use about 700 of the approximately 3,500 electronic voting machines it owns, or one per voting precinct for disabled voters. The permissible use requires counties hand count all electronic ballots.

In 2000, the county was among the first in California to convert to a $14 million e-voting system hailed for its cost and time efficiencies.

Supervisors spent another $12.9 million in 2006 on new machines to meet added state requirements. The federal government provided a $7.5 million grant for the purchase.

Participating in the discussion are the clerks/registrars from Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Santa Cruz and Madera counties as well as testimony from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Pew Center on States, Federal Voting Assistance Program and representatives from voting system manufacturers.