July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Voting system reviewed (6/8/04)
Commissioners get second look at push button system
Reassurances that a paper trail for elections won’t be required by the federal government appeared to move Jay County closer to choosing a new voting system.
Jay County Commissioners and Jay County clerk Jane Ann Runyon, who are working together on the process to replace the county’s punch card ballots before May of 2006, talked Monday with a representative of Microvote General Corp. — the company that makes the push-button system they appear to favor.
And although the chances of Jay County voting on a new system in November are slim, the commissioners and Runyon are leaning heavily toward the system from Microvote at a cost of approximately $225,000. Reimbursements through the Help America Vote Act could pay for some or all of the new equipment.
Steve Shamo, who first brought the push-button voting system to Jay County in February, said Monday he does not believe federal or state laws will be changed to require that a paper trail be created during elections.
Shamo, who recently met with a member of the federal Election Assistance Commission, said that paper-less electronic voting systems are actually more secure and dependable because the voting information is not handled by people.
“The level of auditibility blows away what you get from any optical scan system,” Shamo said.
After talking with Shamo for about 30 minutes, commissioners’ president Milo Miller Jr. asked Runyon, “Are we ready?”
“It’s up to you guys,” Runyon answered.
No final decision was made, and the commissioners said it was unlikely the new system would be in place for elections in November.
Shamo said he would not know for about a month whether the company could provide the equipment in time for the Nov. 2 general election. Shamo and Runyon have said the equipment should be available locally about two months prior to the election to allow time for public training and testing.
Runyon has said she would like to take the machine to public events and meetings so that people can familiarize themselves with the new process.
Commissioners’ attorney Brad Burkett asked Shamo if his system could be contaminated by smart cards that are swiped before each voter votes.
The system, Shamo said, is designed to accept no new programming information during voting. The system software has two source codes that are known separately by Microvote and the manufacturer of the machines.
Also Monday, the commissioners agreed to create two new line items within the budget of the Jay County Health Department. The requests were made by immunization clerk Peggy Atkinson.
Line items created were a cash/change fund, which will be used to make change for those paying for items like death and birth certificates, and a DARE line item that will be funded by $3,500 in tobacco grant money.[[In-content Ad]]
Jay County Commissioners and Jay County clerk Jane Ann Runyon, who are working together on the process to replace the county’s punch card ballots before May of 2006, talked Monday with a representative of Microvote General Corp. — the company that makes the push-button system they appear to favor.
And although the chances of Jay County voting on a new system in November are slim, the commissioners and Runyon are leaning heavily toward the system from Microvote at a cost of approximately $225,000. Reimbursements through the Help America Vote Act could pay for some or all of the new equipment.
Steve Shamo, who first brought the push-button voting system to Jay County in February, said Monday he does not believe federal or state laws will be changed to require that a paper trail be created during elections.
Shamo, who recently met with a member of the federal Election Assistance Commission, said that paper-less electronic voting systems are actually more secure and dependable because the voting information is not handled by people.
“The level of auditibility blows away what you get from any optical scan system,” Shamo said.
After talking with Shamo for about 30 minutes, commissioners’ president Milo Miller Jr. asked Runyon, “Are we ready?”
“It’s up to you guys,” Runyon answered.
No final decision was made, and the commissioners said it was unlikely the new system would be in place for elections in November.
Shamo said he would not know for about a month whether the company could provide the equipment in time for the Nov. 2 general election. Shamo and Runyon have said the equipment should be available locally about two months prior to the election to allow time for public training and testing.
Runyon has said she would like to take the machine to public events and meetings so that people can familiarize themselves with the new process.
Commissioners’ attorney Brad Burkett asked Shamo if his system could be contaminated by smart cards that are swiped before each voter votes.
The system, Shamo said, is designed to accept no new programming information during voting. The system software has two source codes that are known separately by Microvote and the manufacturer of the machines.
Also Monday, the commissioners agreed to create two new line items within the budget of the Jay County Health Department. The requests were made by immunization clerk Peggy Atkinson.
Line items created were a cash/change fund, which will be used to make change for those paying for items like death and birth certificates, and a DARE line item that will be funded by $3,500 in tobacco grant money.[[In-content Ad]]
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