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SACRAMENTO — Nine California counties, including the state’s two largest, will not be able to use punch-card voting systems beginning in 2006 and possibly 2004, says California’s top elections official. 

Some of the counties are already looking at new systems and hope voters approve a possible $200 million bond in March to give them some money to buy modern equipment. 

Secretary of State Bill Jones said Tuesday he is decertifying the Votomatic and Pollstar punch-card voting systems because they can cause problems such as occurred last year in Florida in the presidential election. 

Punch-card systems, with their hard-to-interpret hanging chads, “caused the world to wait for the results of the 2000 presidential election,” Jones told a news conference. 

The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups have sued Jones in federal court in Los Angeles, demanding that punch-card systems be replaced for the 2002 elections. A trial is scheduled for Jan. 14. 

The lawsuit claims the machines are not only outdated, but also discriminatory, since black and Hispanic voters are more likely to live in the nine counties using the error-prone punch-card machines. 

Attorneys for the groups are evaluating the effect of Jones’ announcement on the lawsuit, said Jim Knox of Common Cause, one of the parties. 

“We’re pleased that the secretary of state recognizes that these antiquated and inaccurate systems have got to go,” Knox said. “The question is whether we want to go through another presidential election relying on these machines.” 

Jones said the machines must be replaced by Jan. 1, 2006. He will hold public hearings over the next several months to ask county election officials and companies that make machines if it’s possible to replace the systems before the 2004 presidential election. 

The counties using the two systems are Alameda, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Clara, Shasta and Solano. They have a total of 8.6 million registered voters. 

The cost of replacing the systems will depend on what new systems the counties choose, he said. He did not have an estimate. 

The Legislature last week voted to put a $200 million bond on the March ballot to provide counties with money to update voting systems. 

However, Gov. Gray Davis has not yet decided whether to sign it, spokesman Roger Salazar said Tuesday. 

Los Angeles County Registrar Conny McCormack estimates it will cost the state’s largest county $100 million to replace its system. It has 4.1 million registered voters. 

San Diego County, second largest with 1.3 million voters, expects to spend $40 million to $50 million, says Sally McPherson, acting registrar of voters. 

Even if voters approve the bond, the county will have to come up with $10 million to $15 million, she said. 

“The good news is we’ve got four years to figure out our best options,” she said. 

In Shasta County, with 83,156 voters, officials have not made any cost estimates or decisions, awaiting the outcome of the lawsuit. 

“Our county has been successful with Votomatic. We didn’t think there was a problem with it,” said Sally Mayr, assistant county clerk. 

Riverside County is the only one in the state using a touch-screen computer system. Twenty-four counties use an optical scan system. Twenty-four others use Datavote, a hole-punch system that Jones says does not create chads on the back of ballot cards.