RE: [LPCO] Elections Alert: Watchdog says five days isn't enough time

["Bo" <bs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

They can't wait.....
the next election is practically here.....9 months and counting.

I'd suggest putting together a prioritized list of requirements for a Voting
System.
One page.....

For example...
IMHO.....number one is paper trail. There *has* to be a way to recount the
actual vote.
number two might just be HAVA Compliant....gotta meet Federal requirements.
And so on.....

Put a list together, and have everyone prioritize it.
Take the sum of the priorities, and submit the list to the Clerk on
Wednesday.
No huge tome of demands or long winded rants.....just a Citizens Requirement
List for Holding Elections with Confidence.

In areas of extreme complexity, little time and limited manpower.....KISS
can make a workable solution....;-)
Whadya think?
(THIMK!)

Bo

-----Original Message-----
From: Ralph Shnelvar [mailto:ralphs@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2005 9:11 AM
To: CVV; lpboulder@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; lpco-chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [LPCO] Elections Alert: Watchdog says five days isn't
enough time


Please let me know if you want to sign the following.  I will submit to the
Commissioners and Clerk on Monday evening.



Dear Commissioners and Clerk:

We, the undersigned, ask that you extend the review period for at least a
month or, in the alternative, deny funding for additional equipment as
proposed in RFP 4717-06.

We ask that you postpone funding for any one of the following reasons:

(1) Insufficient time to review the RFP.  The Christmas holiday weekend is a
ridiculous time to as citizens to spend time reviewing a complex RFP.

(2) The push for voting centers.  This entire concept needs to be reviewed
carefully.

(3) In 2006 a new Clerk might be elected.  Saddling the new Clerk with
unwanted equipment may be a complete waste of money.

(4) Many of the undersigned still want the Commissioners and the Clerk to
pursue the possibility of using hand-counted paper ballots either with or
without an automark system.  Hand counted paper ballots will be far cheaper
than any scanning system and far more transparent.


Signed,

Ralph Shnelvar	ralphs@xxxxxxxxx





On Sat, 24 Dec 2005 05:10:17 -0700, you wrote:

>The Daily Camera
>
>'Tis the season for residents' election input
>Watchdog says five days isn't enough time
>
>By Ryan Morgan, Camera Staff Writer
>December 23, 2005
>
>If you're an election watchdog in Boulder County, you might want to put
down
>your eggnog this weekend.
>
>Boulder County elections officials are offering residents the opportunity
to
>comment on its "request for proposal" document, which it will release early
>next year. The document will ask contractors to submit bids for the
county's
>next generation of elections equipment.
>
>In a news release issued Thursday afternoon, the county said the invitation
>to comment on the request for proposals is an "unprecedented move aimed at
>increasing public input in the Boulder County elections process."
>
>But those who want to weigh in on the 40-page document will have to hurry:
>Comments are due by 9 a.m. Wednesday.
>
>"The one-week turnaround time for public comment is necessary so that the
>RFP can be released to vendors by December 30 and equipment can be
delivered
>by April 1," the county stated in its news release Thursday.
>
>Joe Pezzillo, a watchdog who's been frequently critical of the county's
>election efforts, said the short turnaround - which actually amounts to
five
>days, including Christmas Day on Sunday and the federal, state and local
>holidays that are observed Monday - is a ridiculously short period of time
>in which to solicit meaningful comment from the public.
>
>"For them to say, 'We'll take your public comment over the Christmas
>holiday,' really does not speak well at all for the clerk office's interest
>in the public process," he said. "They're clearly not interested in
>involving the public in any meaningful way in that discussion."
>
>County representatives - including County Clerk and Recorder Linda Salas,
>elections coordinator Josh Liss and spokeswoman Patricia Demchak - were out
>of the office Thursday and unavailable to comment.
>
>The request for proposals marks the county's attempt to make significant
>changes in the way elections in Boulder are run.
>
>Elections officials are asking for $5.6 million to buy new "optical scan"
>voting machines and to set up 50 to 60 "voting centers" throughout the
>county that would replace the precinct system, which in turn would make
>voting more efficient.
>
>Commissioners are scheduled to take up the budget request next month.
>
>Contact Camera Staff Writer Ryan Morgan at (303) 473-1333 or
>morganr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>Copyright 2005, The Daily Camera. All Rights Reserved.