Six weeks before the May primary, Allegheny County officials are developing a backup plan in case their preferred electronic voting machine fails a second certification test Tuesday in Harrisburg.

The county has received about 50 of 2,800 AVC Advantages, push-button machines built by Sequoia Voting Systems of California.

If the county doesn't have an approved machine in place by May 16, it could forfeit millions in federal aid and face legal action from the Justice Department.

County Manager Jim Flynn said yesterday that his office is considering "all options," including the purchase of equipment from another company. But, he said, the county is still trying to work out a deal with Sequoia, which sells other machines that have already received state approval.

Sequoia has experienced a rash of recent troubles. Last week, a state examiner found problems with the company's tabulation software. On March 21, hundreds of voting precincts in Chicago and suburban Cook County, Ill., all using Sequoia machines, failed to transmit results when the primary election there came to a close.

"The thing that went wrong in Chicago is that they rushed," Dr. David A. Eckhardt, a lecturer in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, told Allegheny County Council yesterday. "The Chicago example has moved me from beyond concern to fear."

Several council members expressed their own fears about the county's readiness for the primary.

"I think they're going to be out of the picture," Councilman John DeFazio, D-Shaler, said of Sequoia.

In February, Mr. DeFazio, a member of the county's elections board, voted with Chief Executive Dan Onorato to approve a $11.8 million deal with the company. Councilman Dave Fawcett, R-Oakmont, the board's third member, voted against the deal.

Yesterday, Mr. Fawcett warned of a "disaster situation" if the county doesn't acquire dependable technology to replace its aging lever machines. Mr. DeFazio said he would contact Mr. Onorato to set up a new elections board meeting.

Councilwoman Jan Rea, R-McCandless, introduced a resolution that calls on the county to lease optical scanners, which read ballots that resemble standardized tests, for at least a year. Councilman Bill Robinson, D-Hill District, proposed the creation of a panel of computer scientists, activists, and attorneys who could advise council on voting machines.

Both bills were sent to committee.