Allegheny County has until Tuesday to place an order for 5,600 touch-screen voting machines or it risks forfeiting a deeply discounted purchase price, the county Board of Elections was told yesterday.

But the three-member board, which includes county Chief Executive Dan Onorato, put off a final decision because of concerns that the machines won't come equipped with paper printouts that voters can use to check their choices.

Diebold Inc. of North Canton, Ohio, has offered to sell the machines, which resemble ATMs, to the county for $11.9 million, almost $4 million less than a price put forward by Election Systems and Software Inc.

That price also is significantly lower than the $20 million set aside for new machines in the county's 2006 capital budget and could be covered almost entirely by a federal grant. Diebold officials told the county, however, that the $11.9 million price was guaranteed only until the end of the month.

Under the federal Help America Vote Act, legislation that grew out of the disputed 2000 presidential election in Florida, local governments across the country must buy machines that meet strict standards and have them in place by the May primary.

Allegheny County will qualify for $12 million in aid if it meets the May deadline, and Diebold officials have said they can put their machines in place by then if county officials sign a contract this month.

About 6,500 poll workers at 1,300 voting sites across the county will need to learn how to use the new machines.

Both Mr. Onorato and County Council have said they want machines with paper trails, already a requirement in many states.

But Pennsylvania's Department of State, which oversees elections and must certify all voting machines, hasn't yet approved any touch-screen machines with that feature.

"This is outrageous that we've been put in this position," said Councilman Dave Fawcett, R-Oakmont, a member of the elections board. "Harrisburg has totally dropped the ball."

Allison Hrestak, a spokeswoman for the Department of State, said it's up to the state Legislature to mandate the use of paper trails, something legislators have been considering.

In the meantime, Mr. Onorato said, the county needs to move forward.

"I believe in voter verification. I'd like to see it, immediately," he said. "But if we don't move, we lose $12 million. It's a pretty tough situation to be in."

Angela Chan, deputy director of the county Department of Administrative Services, told the elections board that Diebold could later equip its machines, called AccuVote-TSX, with paper printers at a cost of $2.6 million. The company also will charge about $480,000 a year for maintenance.

During the meeting, a group of voting rights activists raised questions about Diebold's track record elsewhere.

"If the county decides to go with these machines," Mary Mervis, 43, of Squirrel Hill, told the board, "we're going to be the laughingstock of the country."

In California, 18 counties have Diebold machines, but state officials are delaying certification because of concerns that computer memory cards may be susceptible to tampering.

"We've asked for additional federal review," said Jennifer Kerns, a spokeswoman for the California Department of State.

Critics also accuse Diebold of being too close to the Republican Party. People affiliated with the company have contributed significant sums to Republican candidates since 2000, according to The Associated Press.

But the company now has a policy that prohibits anyone working in the elections division from participating in political activities beyond voting, according to David Bear, a spokesman. And he said company officials are confident California will approve the AccuVote machine.

As many as 20 counties in Pennsylvania also are considering joining Allegheny County in purchasing the machines.

The county elections board will reconvene Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. in the county Courthouse, Downtown.