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Archpundit returns

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After a long hiatus, Archpundit finally returns to blogging today with some posts about new voting equipment for Chicago. Welcome back, dude. We missed you.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 25, 05 @ 3:57 pm

Comments

The rumor is that they (Cook County) have narrowed the decision to four finalists:

1.) ES&S Ink-a-Vote
2.) Sequoia Pacific Touchscreen
3.) Hart E-Slate (a different sort of touchscreen)
4.) Diebold Accuvote (optical scan)

Ok, have worked around a number of places (not as a lead election official, but around the election offices) and have experience with 1 & 4, and exposure to 2 (different state).

First off, I’m not a big touchscreen fan, because bottom line, it’s slower (takes people longer to vote, regardless of what the sales pukes are spinning), they are technically more complicated (& believe me, it’s ALWAYS “Murphy’s Law” when things go wrong with election equipment), and they look to be more expensive on a per unit basis.

But, it’s meaningless, because as I understand the most current HAVA (Help America Vote Act) provisions, you’ve got to have at least 1 touchscreen unit per precinct for the optically impared (I understand there’s some technology out there, but I’ve yet to see any braille capable optical scan based election system). So there go the costs - lets spend even more bucks.

Realize, that those Federal funds were based on each election entity getting a base dollars per precinct as existed back for the November, 2000 election. And it’s nowhere near 100% coverage of the equipment costs, must less ongoing maintenance costs. The Cook County / City of Chicago election folks are going to have to come up with quite a bucket of bucks to add into the pot to be able to pay for all of this, and that money situation will probably be the deciding factor.

Two predictions:

1. I don’t know how many precincts are in Cook County / City of Chicago Election Commission, but expect the number of polling places to shrink by at least 10%, if not 15% from the November, 2004 election. Fewer polling locations (combining multiple precincts into single voting locations) equals fewer “equipment bundles” = lower costs. It’s all about money vrs. inconvienence.
2. If they go touchscreens, be ready to wait in line (longer than anything you’ve ever seen before). Many, many voters just aren’t comfortable with the touchscreens, and too often, it just takes longer.

I’m just dreading future elections where the results (across the board) are all comming in next day - and that’s without any technical problems.

And if you think that this is the story - heads up - wait till you see the new VR (Voter Registration) System (called VISTA) that has been concocted by the wizards at the SBE (with their MA firm). Oh Lord, shoot me now…..

Here’s a 12.03.2004 .pdf report by the SBE:
http://www.elections.state.il.us/aboutboard/pages/downloads/pdf/12_3_04minutes.pdf

Be scared, be very scared…..

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 25, 05 @ 6:33 pm
You’re right about the likelihood that a touchscreen per precinct may have to be purchased.

But unless you can send touchscreens through the mail to absentee voters, you’ll still have to have a paper ballot of some sort.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 27, 05 @ 2:16 am