Voting machines debut to good reviews

RENO - Nevadans who voted early in Tuesday's primary election are giving favorable reviews to the state's new touch-screen voting machines.

"It was really, really easy," said Robert Munson, a 34-year-old teacher from Reno. "It was a lot more convenient than filling in those bubbles."

Yvonne Evans, 65, of Las Vegas, agreed: "I love it. I love the touch process, and it gives you a chance to review your vote in case you made an error."

State officials estimated over 100,000 Nevadans cast ballots by Friday's close of early voting.

Supporters say the machines will improve voter accuracy and provide a uniform election system.

Critics have attacked the machines' security and reliability, pointing to election problems across the country.

But Nevada election officials are optimistic the new machines will be an improvement over the hodgepodge of voting systems used throughout the state.

"We're going from 40-year-old technology, and the voters just really like them," Carson City Voter Registrar Alan Glover told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

To ease voter anxiety following the Florida election debacle in 2000, Secretary of State Dean Heller pledged to provide machines that offer printed verification of a voter's choices.

Nevada will be the first state in the nation to use the "veri-vote" machines, which have drawn attention from the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission.

The verifiable receipt is contained in a Plexiglas case to the left of the computer screen, allowing a voter to see choices on paper before casting a vote.

Washoe County Voter Registrar Dan Burk warned it takes voters between 60 and 90 seconds longer to cast a vote than it did when they colored in ovals.

That could result in longer lines at polling places and a longer time before election results are known, Burk said.

Vegas Sands files IPO for up to $350M

Las Vegas Sands Corp. has filed an initial public offering to sell up to $350 million in common stock, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Details about the number of shares offered and the price range for the IPO weren't disclosed in Friday's filing.

The company said it plans to use proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes and working capital.

Las Vegas Sands said it may use the proceeds to fund its development projects in Asia, the United Kingdom and in other jurisdictions.

Sheldon G. Adelson, chairman and chief executive of Las Vegas Sands since it was formed in 1988, will own more than 50 percent of the voting power of the company after the completion of the offering. As a result, the company is considered a controlled company in connection with the New York Stock Exchange listing requirements.

The New York Stock Exchange corporate governance requirements that Las Vegas Sands' board and its compensation committee be independent won't apply, the filing said. Goldman, Sachs & Co. was listed as the underwriter for the offering.

Las Vegas Sands owns and operates The Venetian hotel-casino and the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, along with a new casino in Macau, a former Portuguese enclave in China.

The company said it plans to list its stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LVS.

The $350 million valuation for the IPO was estimated solely for calculating the registration fee, the filing said. The eventual price terms of an IPO often differ from the valuation in the first registration.

- Associated Press