LINN COUNTY - Linn county's long time auditor is moving up to a top state elections post after the new year. Linda Langenberg is set to become a deputy secretary of state. She will work with county auditors statewide and oversee state election rules.

Langenberg first started working on county elections in 1978 as Linn County's deputy auditor. She won the office in 1984--and that was the last time anyone opposed her in a county election.

Langenberg said many things have changed in her years on the job in Linn County. One big difference is technology. When she began working on elections voters used giant machines with mechanical switches and levers to cast and record votes.

In the early 1980's, she was involved in helping choose the first electronic voting system used in the state. That was an optical scanning system.

Langenberg said one decision she made as auditor may have avoid some highly publicized problems that happened in Florida in the 2000 election.

At one time, Linn County considered "punch card" ballots as an option. But Langenberg did not like the "hanging chads" and didn't buy the system. The "hanging chads" held up a final count in the race between President George Bush and then Vice President Al Gore in Florida.

Linn County Supervisors can either appoint a new auditor to fill Langenberg's remaining two years in office or call for a special election. Supervisors haven't made that decision yet.