ES&S Efforts Ease Calif. E-voting Concerns

Warning prompts company to address potential problems with machines

By Marc L. Songini, Marc L. Songini

January 9, 2006 12:00 PM ET

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Computerworld - So far, the California secretary of state's office is satisfied with the efforts of electronic voting systems maker Election Systems & Software Inc. to address concerns about its machines.
The state had notified the Omaha-based company last November that unease about the accuracy of the voting machines may force a decertification of the units.
In a letter sent to the manufacturer, Assistant Secretary of State for Elections Bradley Clark cited a problem encountered during a Nov. 8 test of the system, when a vote was apparently displayed inaccurately.
The state's certification proc-ess requires testing of voting system vendors.
ES&S has been working with the state to address issues that were raised by the test, said a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Bruce McPherson.
"At this point, they've been very responsive to our needs," the spokeswoman said.
She said that shortly after the letter was sent, ES&S officials "came in and addressed each issue point by point. Each one has either been resolved or they will be required to find a solution."
She was unsure when ES&S will complete the compliance process.
An ES&S spokesman said the error was caused by a tester using her fingernail instead of her fingertip on the touch screen to cast a vote. The firm's iVotronic machines require that the fingertip be used, he said. The spokesman also noted that voters can review ballots before they are submitted.
The letter to ES&S also cited the tester's inability to see all of the choices on a single screen.
The spokesman said that the tester accessed the screen that summarized the number of votes cast and that the system does allow the viewing of all choices on a single screen.

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