SAN JOSE
– County supervisors delayed a decision to select a new
electronic voting system provider Tuesday, instead scheduling a
Feb. 11 workshop to review issues such as security, costs and
disabled access.
SAN JOSE – County supervisors delayed a decision to select a new electronic voting system provider Tuesday, instead scheduling a Feb. 11 workshop to review issues such as security, costs and disabled access.
“This gives us more time to thoroughly understand what’s being recommended,” said board chairwoman Blanca Alvarado.
The county’s Registrar of Voters office recommended Sequoia Voting Systems as the preferred vendor to implement the new system after a competitive evaluation process that included a six-month pilot program.
The firms Diebold and Election Systems and Software also responded to the request for proposals.
More than 5,000 people tested the systems and submitted surveys on ease of use, accessibility and language clarity. An independent consultant was also retained to conduct data analysis. All three vendors ran a simulated election last fall at 30 polling places.
The estimated one-time cost to install the system countywide is $20 million, and annual maintenance costs are estimated at $1.7 million, although the amount is expected to shrink during final contract negotiations.
Appromimately half the cost will be covered by Proposition 41, the state’s voting modernization bond fund.
Supervisors are expected to act by Feb. 25 so the county can comply with a federal court order that requires it replace its punch-card system with electronic voting by the March 2004 election.
Approximately 1,000 precincts will be outfitted each with five electronic voting machines, including one that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
“We want to make sure that every vote counts in Santa Clara County,” said Jesse Durazo, Registrar of Voters.
