(04/28/06) NEWARK ? Elections officials in Essex County are scrambling to ensure their new voting machines are in place before two important upcoming elections.

County workers ordered 700 new machines to comply with the Help America Vote Act. That measure dictates all voting machines must be voter verifiable, accessible to the disabled and multilingual by 2008. However, only 366 machines are available for use to date.

One citizens group says alternate methods, such as an assistive device, could have been used instead of ordering all new machines. Many voters also fear the possibility of inaccurate voting in the elections. County officials say some of the old ?lever? machines will be used if the entire order doesn?t arrive in time.