Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org
So now ES&S is in trouble, again, in California. They appear to have sold uncertified AutoMark voting systems to counties and those systems were used in recent elections. I think it is important to know that this is an ES&S issue and not an AutoMark issue. AutoMark is a separate company that happened, at the time, to have an exclusive sales agreement with ES&S. Hopefully AutoMark will distance themselves from ES&S….
Election Systems & Software sold almost 1,000 uncertified voting machines to five California counties in 2006, says Secretary of State Debra Bowen LINK
Allegedly sold uncertified machines LINK
Registrar of voters will have to purchase new voting booths LINK
County machines may not have been certified by state LINK
Secretary of State expands effort to inform voters about controversial voter identification cards LINK
Company used by Northampton County faces decertification. LINK
Electoral Process Will Soon Go Forward With E-Machines LINK
**”Daily Voting News” is meant as a comprehensive listing of reports each day concerning issues related to election and voting news around the country regardless of quality or political slant. Therefore, items listed in “Daily Voting News” may not reflect the opinions of VotersUnite.Org or BradBlog.Com**







EPIC FOIA Notes #11
January 9, 2006
NO-BID CONTRACTS GO TO VENDORS WITH CLOSE TIES TO ELECTION ADVISORY GROUP
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THE DISCLOSURE
Documents obtained by EPIC from the Election Assistance Commission describe two no-bid contracts for work on voting system standards given to vendors with ties to the Commission’s technical advisory committee.
THE ISSUE
Integrity of federal voting system standards.
THE BACKGROUND
For decades, the development of voting technology standards and the certification of election equipment has been controlled by a small number of election administrators and vendors. The Help America Vote Act was intended to replace this closed system with a new process based on public input. However, the law limits the staff of the key government agency. More than 40 states are receiving nearly $2 billion in federal funds to purchase voting systems and support election administration.
THE SIGNIFICANCE
The Election Assistance Commission awarding no-bid contracts to those with ties to the agency’s advisory committee could undermine trust in the nation’s election system standards development process.
The above information can be found here.