Both companies have checkered pasts. MicroVote has a record of donations to candidates who have purchased voting machines from the company and then gone on to run in state-wide elections. One of their salesmen, in Mecklenberg County, North Carolina, was investigated by the federal government, indicted and convicted of bribery and kickbacks over a seven-year period. According to the Los Angeles Times, in 1993, one ex-MicroVote national sales director and an ex-Federal Election Commission official told an audience that influence is more important than a quality product in his industry.
The Indianapolis Star reports that Indiana-based MicroVote General Corp., may have violated state law by selling, or attempting to sell, voting machines whose certifications had lapsed.
In a Wednesday press release Secretary Rokita's office said:
"As the state's Chief Election officer, Rokita will also conduct a separate enforcement hearing concerning the sales activities of another election systems vendor, MicroVote General, Corp., an Indiana company that, like ES&S, has contracted to supply voting machines to several Indiana counties. In monitoring various counties' purchase of MicroVote's equipment, the Secretary of State's office has learned that MicroVote may have sold, or attempted to sell, Indiana county voting machines whose Indiana certifications have lapsed.
"To protect the voices of Hoosier voters, I intend to hold hearings on these matters to determine whether Indiana law has been violated, and if so, to hold the appropriate parties accountable," Rokita said. "Hoosier taxpayers, voters and county officials deserve voting systems that comply with the high standards mandated by Indiana law."
Under Indiana law, every Indiana county contracts with a vendor of its choosing for voting system products and related services. However, before any voting system may be purchased by a county, the system must first be certified for use in the state by the Indiana Election Commission, a body independent of the Secretary of State's office. In cases where a voting system vendor's performance issues go beyond poor county service and begin to affect the ability of counties to accurately count ballots, the Secretary of State's office could issue civil penalties of up to $300,000 for each violation.
In characteristic fashion, defending his company, ES&S spokesman Ken Fields says the company is willing to answer the Secretary's questions, adding, "It's certainly a priority of ours to meet the needs of election officials and voters." Never taking their eyes off of that money bag at the end of the tracks, ES&S likes to comfort it's customers until they are not looking"and then they get run over by the locomotive.
WEST VIRGINIA COUNTIES HAVE NO BALLOT PROGRAMMING SOFTWARE FOR THEIR ES&S iVOTRONICS
The West Virginia primary is scheduled for May 9 with early "no excuse" voting scheduled to begin on April 19. Many counties, especially those in the Northern Panhandle, were scheduled to have already had their ES&S iVotronic DREs programmed and tested and ready for early voting. Unfortunately, as we are seeing far too often, ES&S has missed its deadline. No testing has been done and the voters will be using paper ballots (probably a good thing) in the early voting and possibly in the primary.
Unfortunately West Virginia's Secretary of State, Betty Ireland, seems to be mesmerized by the lights on the approaching locomotive. She is giving ES&S all of the excuses she can, as reported by the Gazette Mail:
The machines' vendor, Election Systems and Software of Omaha, Neb., has been overwhelmed preparing computerized ballots for the 34 counties using the touch-screen technology, as well as for other states holding primary elections this spring.
"The vendor is obviously overwhelmed, and they're preparing ballots as we speak," said Ben Beakes, Ireland's chief of staff.
LOSING CANDIDATES AND GOP IN COOK COUNTY AND CHICAGO IL, CALL FOR AUDITS OF PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS
It is said that a successful election is one in which the losing candidate walks away with full knowledge and acceptance that they lost the race. That cannot be said about last month's primary election debacle in Illinois.
This week Democrat candidates who lost in elections and the GOP itself joined forces in a press conference. WBBM 780 reported that Cook County Republican leaders want 20 percent of the votes from the March primary recounted, because they fear problems with new voting equipment and charge that untrained election judges may have tainted the results. Attorney and Democratic candidate Frank Avila is threatening to file a federal lawsuit on behalf of both Democrats and Republicans.
Meanwhile the Chicago Tribune reported:
The Indianapolis Star reports that Indiana-based MicroVote General Corp., may have violated state law by selling, or attempting to sell, voting machines whose certifications had lapsed.
In a Wednesday press release Secretary Rokita's office said:
"As the state's Chief Election officer, Rokita will also conduct a separate enforcement hearing concerning the sales activities of another election systems vendor, MicroVote General, Corp., an Indiana company that, like ES&S, has contracted to supply voting machines to several Indiana counties. In monitoring various counties' purchase of MicroVote's equipment, the Secretary of State's office has learned that MicroVote may have sold, or attempted to sell, Indiana county voting machines whose Indiana certifications have lapsed.
Under Indiana law, every Indiana county contracts with a vendor of its choosing for voting system products and related services. However, before any voting system may be purchased by a county, the system must first be certified for use in the state by the Indiana Election Commission, a body independent of the Secretary of State's office. In cases where a voting system vendor's performance issues go beyond poor county service and begin to affect the ability of counties to accurately count ballots, the Secretary of State's office could issue civil penalties of up to $300,000 for each violation.
In characteristic fashion, defending his company, ES&S spokesman Ken Fields says the company is willing to answer the Secretary's questions, adding, "It's certainly a priority of ours to meet the needs of election officials and voters." Never taking their eyes off of that money bag at the end of the tracks, ES&S likes to comfort it's customers until they are not looking"and then they get run over by the locomotive.
WEST VIRGINIA COUNTIES HAVE NO BALLOT PROGRAMMING SOFTWARE FOR THEIR ES&S iVOTRONICS
The West Virginia primary is scheduled for May 9 with early "no excuse" voting scheduled to begin on April 19. Many counties, especially those in the Northern Panhandle, were scheduled to have already had their ES&S iVotronic DREs programmed and tested and ready for early voting. Unfortunately, as we are seeing far too often, ES&S has missed its deadline. No testing has been done and the voters will be using paper ballots (probably a good thing) in the early voting and possibly in the primary.
Unfortunately West Virginia's Secretary of State, Betty Ireland, seems to be mesmerized by the lights on the approaching locomotive. She is giving ES&S all of the excuses she can, as reported by the Gazette Mail:
The machines' vendor, Election Systems and Software of Omaha, Neb., has been overwhelmed preparing computerized ballots for the 34 counties using the touch-screen technology, as well as for other states holding primary elections this spring.
"The vendor is obviously overwhelmed, and they're preparing ballots as we speak," said Ben Beakes, Ireland's chief of staff.
LOSING CANDIDATES AND GOP IN COOK COUNTY AND CHICAGO IL, CALL FOR AUDITS OF PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS
It is said that a successful election is one in which the losing candidate walks away with full knowledge and acceptance that they lost the race. That cannot be said about last month's primary election debacle in Illinois.
This week Democrat candidates who lost in elections and the GOP itself joined forces in a press conference. WBBM 780 reported that Cook County Republican leaders want 20 percent of the votes from the March primary recounted, because they fear problems with new voting equipment and charge that untrained election judges may have tainted the results. Attorney and Democratic candidate Frank Avila is threatening to file a federal lawsuit on behalf of both Democrats and Republicans.
Meanwhile the Chicago Tribune reported:
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