News

Government agencies in Las Vegas, Halifax ponder kiosks

September 11, 2002

LAS VEGAS and HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- Kiosks are being considered to renew car registrations in Nevada and conduct elections in Halifax, Nova Scotia, according to published reports.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is considering deploying a kiosk in one of its Las Vegas offices to allow cash and credit-card registration renewals.

The DMV is considering the kiosk as part of a long-term plan to reduce customer wait times. While waiting times have been reduced at its Las Vegas and Reno offices during the past three years, the department has yet to meet its goal of one hour per customer.

DMV spokesman Kevin Malone said one benefit of Web-based, registration-renewal kiosks would be having the registration automatically noted on the department's computers.

"When the renewal is entered on our secure Web site, that information is immediately shared with law enforcement," Malone told the Sun. "If you are stopped, police will look on the computer and it will show a renewed registration."

DMV director Ginny Lewis outlined the kiosk plans to Nevada legislative officials in early September. There was no time frame for launching the kiosk trial.

In Halifax, kiosks were mentioned in a discussion paper prepared by provincial and municipal officials considering change to municipal and school-board election rules. Discussions began after 45 percent of registered voters participated in the 2000 Halifax Regional Municipality elections; 60 percent is considered a reasonable figure.

Touchscreen ballots and poll-site Internet voting are among the options being discussed, according to the Halifax Herald. Future options could also include kiosks, computer voting from home, and telephone voting.

Recommendations will be made in the near future, according to the Herald. The next municipal and school-board elections are set for 2004.