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Re: Boulder County sets voting system public hearing
All Good Citizens:
I think we need to examine this recommendation to purchase Hart InterCivic equipment.
It's certainly good that Boulder County (after considerable public prodding) decided to base our voting system on voter verifiable paper ballots and delay any decision on purchasing DREs.
But I wonder why the rush to buy instead of lease? Seems that with the industry in such flux, with no standards yet decided by NIST, and with no pending deadlines (there never were any deadlines, that was all nonsense), we ought to lease so we don't lock ourselves into a costly mistake.
Also, what about software disclosure, verifiability, a new RFP for new circumstances, and the thinking that went into the decision?
This might be a great decision or not; let's examine it on its merits.
Let's not be bashful or dilatory; this is the most significant voting system decision Boulder County has made in thirty years. Our input thus far has been instrumental in directing Boulder County in the right direction. Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and Independents all agree voting system integrity is as nonpartisan an issue as it is crucial.
What do folks think?
kell
Alan Crandall <ipix@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
8 January 2004
Contact: James Burrus, Media Information Officer, 303-441-1622
County sets vote tabulation system public hearing
The Boulder County Commissioners will hold a public hearing with
Clerk and Recorder Linda Salas at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 22 to discuss
her recommendation that the county purchase a new election system from Hart
InterCivic for use in future Boulder County elections, including the 2004
primary and general elections.
Voters would go to polling places or request an absentee ballot and
mark that paper ballot with pen or pencil. The ballots will then be
deposited in a sealed ballot box at the precinct on election day (or mailed
back to the clerk's office, in the case of an absentee ballot) and then
taken to the clerk and recorder's office where the Hart InterCivic system
will
tabulate the votes.
The system is not an optical scan device, but instead captures a
digital image of each paper ballot and tabulates the votes from the image.
In the case of a questionable mark on a ballot, the ballot image can be
projected onto a wall for viewing by election judges to determine voter
intent. If there is a need to check the actual ballot against the digital
image, the paper ballots will allow that.
The Hart InterCivic system also allows election officials to print
replacement ballots on demand, as opposed to printing thousands of ballots
that may not be used.
Salas will make her recommendation to the commissioners, who are
responsible for approving the purchase, and Hart InterCivic Vice President
and General Manager Neal McClure will give a presentation on how the system
operates and answer questions.
If the commissioners approve the purchase, negotiations will then
begin as to price. Salas said she did not yet have an
estimate of what the
system will cost because, in addition to the Hart system, Salas said she
would be asking for several pieces of additional equipment to augment the
system including extra projectors, printers, copiers, computers and
scanners.
-30-
James Burrus
Boulder County Media Information Officer
w) 303-441-1622
h) 303-444-7933
pager) 303-441-3851, #5806
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