Pennsylvania's Department of State last Friday decertified the voting machines being used in Northampton, Lackawanna and Wayne Counties. In a sternly worded three-page letter, Secretary of State Pedro Cortes informs vendor Advanced Voting Solutions (AVS) that it's out."Because AVS will be unable to proceed through federal certification in a timely fashion, enabling the machines to be ready for the Primary Election in April 2008, the Commonwealth must decertify the use of the AVS electronic voting system in Pennsylvania."
Among the problems - a possible bait and switch. At a February 13 meeting of the citizens' task force, voting rights activist Dr. Alan Brau repeated warnings first made at BlackBox voting. Instead of shipping the hardware that was actually certified, AVS is accused of substituting a cheaper internal hardware system, manufactured in China. AVS has denied this, but refuses to allow further testing, even for its updated software.
This decision gives three Pennsylvania counties about three months to find an implement a replacement in time for the federal presidential and congressional elections. Unlike last November's municipal elections, Northampton County will be unable to use Ol' Faithful, the county's 267 lever voting machines.
Northampton County has set aside $2 million from its recently adopted budget to purchase new voting machines. According to Lackawanna County officials, it makes little sense to spend $700,000 to lease voting machines and have nothing to show for it. On January 15, all three counties will examine different systems.
Drake Minder was the only candidate in Pennsylvania in the last State Primary; that didn't go to vote on the new voting machines.
ReplyDeleteWhat does that say about the candidates that did?
Drake Minder the only
candidate in Pa not playing stupid with the voters
Another incompetent move by our leaders in Northampton County. Of course it will be some elses fault.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said... 2:55
ReplyDeleteThe video says it all!
What it says about drake minder is that he either cast an absentee ballot, or is a candidate who didn't bother voting for himself, so why should anyone else?
ReplyDeleteI really am beginning to resent the way Minder hijacks these blog comments to promote himself. Anon 2:55 and 5:55 are both Minder and I'm getting sick of it.
ReplyDeleteBernie, So can the County get new machines in 3 months?
ReplyDeleteChris, It is going to have to, but has very little time. Don't forget that whatever is selected, everyone will have to be trained, too.
ReplyDeleteI also don't know how this is an "incompetent move" by county leaders. The decision to select AVS was criticized by only one person - Dr. Alan Brau. The decision to select AVS had the backing of nearly everyone, from Dertinger to Angle. I was mute myself. It seemed like a good move at the time.
People who point fingers now are really playing politics.
What happens to the money paid for the decertified machines? Do the taxpayers of Northampton Co get a prorated (since used once) refund from AVS to be applied towards new machines? Or is all that money wasted?
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:47,
ReplyDeleteNC has filed suit for breach of contract, but AVS is probably judgement proof. I doubt it will see a dime. The county's investment was about $0.5MM, and that is money down the drain.
I think the 'incompetent' comment is as fair as any I have read. Leaders from Stoffa to Dertinger are there to make decisions. This decision came out bad and will cost taxpayers in the end. We can say accidents happen but then lets say that for every mistake, and why have a blog or an editorial page.
ReplyDeleteI know you are defensive of anything that remotely singe's Stoffamister, but I hold him and all the other officials to blame for this. I am sure if Reibman were still in office you would too.
Anon 5:47,
ReplyDeleteNo. No. No. The wheels were set in motion for AVS long before Stoffa came on board. A selection committee made the recommendation while Reibman was still in office.
In hindsight, it was a bad recommendation. I don't dispute that. But it would be hypocritical of me to criticize that recommendation now when I did not do so then. In fact, I know of only two people who registered objections. Once was a Lehigh prof whose name escapes me. The other is Dr. Alan Brau.
So if you want to play the blame game, blame evceryone involved. That certainly includes Stoffa, but it also includes Walt Garvin, Charles Dertinger and Glenn Reibman. It includes Deborah DePaul, who actually blocked Brau's emails. It includes me, who kept my mouth shut. And unless you're Dr Brau or that Lehigh prof, it includes you as well. You are a citizen. You have the right to attend meetings and review recommendations like these. Where the hell where you?
First Happy New Year BO. Now calm down or you will give yourself a coronary. I did blame all officials, including Dertinger and still do. If blaming Reibman makes you feel better fine I blame him too.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree that every citizen of the County is responsible for the decision to proceed made by COUNTY officials. That is the problem with committees, they can be the ones to blame if a poor decision is made.
This was a poor decision and I do not feel responsible as a citizen because I am not an elected official. I didnot decide to invade Iraq but elect representatives to use their judgement. I think the invasion was a mistake but didnot write the President and still feel innocent of the blunder.
I understand you running intereference for Stoffa, but BO I hold all the County officials responsible. Be careful you are becoming the Bill O'Rielly of the left with this intense anger at anything that questions the new County regime.
it's my understanding lehigh county went and sold off the "old faithful" machines by the pound, considering there was a designated space for them, as a taxpayer, i would have preferred keeping them around a while longer as the transitions evolve.
ReplyDeleteAnon 7:03,
ReplyDeleteThe problem with your analogy is that you confuse a federal government with a home rule form of government. In the home rule form of government, you have the right to get yourself involved in any decision before it is made. You have the right to address council before it decides to make the wrong decision. You don't have that right in our federal or state system.
So you smugly point your finger of blame now but you sure as hell didn't open your mouth before council decided to go with AVS. I know because I was there the night council made that decision. No one complained.
You anonymously sneer,"I told you so", but you've got a big problem - you never did. By trying to claim superior knowledge now, you're just being a phony. And a partisan. Just knock off the crap.
You also criticize the use of a committee, but that's just more politics from you. When you want to evaluate multiple vendors and make a rercommendation, a committee is quite useful. That's the way things are done, even in the business world.
Claiming officials should know all is a cop out, too. They are not insurance companies. They are required to use due diligence, and that was done. Perhaps this would not have occurred if you had spoken up. But you wait until now to do it ... anonymously ... on a blog.
ReplyDeleteLooks loke Drake Mindless is playing solitaire without a full deck
ReplyDeleteHey guys, stop for a second and think!!! Its nationwide darlings. The blame needs to be moved up to where it belongs. The Federal Government made rushed and foolish decisions without hindsight or good solutions. The Feds took the usual "just do it" attitude and too bad for everyone. Talk to anyone in state and local government along with election personnel. NO ONE WANTED IT! Still don’t! Billions of dollars wasted. That is OUR money. Surprising how CNN and national news sources don’t pick this up.
ReplyDeleteI'll agree with that. The Help America Vote Act did quite the reverse.
ReplyDeletegood news?
ReplyDeleteNew vote system funded
BY DAVID SINGLETON
STAFF WRITER
01/01/2008
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Lackawanna County taxpayers will catch a huge break on the acquisition of new voting machines.
The state Department of State agreed Monday to reimburse the county up to $1.7 million to help pay for a new voting system for the April 22 primary to replace the Advanced Voting Solutions electronic machines that were decertified last week.
Similar offers will be extended to Wayne and Northampton counties, which also have the now useless AVS touch-screen devices, Department of State spokeswoman Leslie Amoros said.
The announcement of the state’s decision came late Monday afternoon from the transition office of Democratic Commissioner Mike Washo and Commissioner-elect Corey O’Brien, who will become the majority on Jan. 7.
“This is a victory for all the taxpayers,” Mr. O’Brien said at a hastily arranged news conference, where he and Mr. Washo were joined by attorneys Lawrence Moran and Gerard Karam, who have been working on the voting machine issue for the transition team,.
According to a letter to Mr. Moran and Mr. Karam from Harry VanSickle, who heads the state Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation, the department will reimburse the county for the procurement of a new voting system up to the invoice price of its AVS system.
In 2006, Lackawanna County purchased 500 electronic voting machines from AVS for $1.7 million. The new machines were necessary to bring the county into compliance with the federal Help America Vote Act, which barred the use of the mechanical lever machines voters had used since 1930.
Voters used the touch-screen machines in the 2006 primary and general elections and the 2007 primary. However, the state suspended certification of the machines for the November 2007 general election after AVS failed to gain federal certification, forcing the county to use paper ballots.
The state notified AVS on Friday that it was permanently decertifying the machines.
Mr. Washo said the transition team went to work on finding an alternative voting system immediately after the Nov. 6 election, working with officials in Wayne and Northampton counties, as well as the Department of State.
“They have ensured we are not going to be embarrassed in April,” he said.
The $1.7 million reimbursement from the state will come from three sources: $1.15 million from HAVA funding the state has received from the federal government, $328,000 from the county’s share of HAVA interest, and $231,000 from HAVA money already designated for use by the county.
The next step will be the selection of a new voting system.
The county will send representatives to a voting system vendor fair being hosted by Northampton County on Jan. 15. At least five manufacturers are expected to demonstrate their state-certified systems at the event, Mr. Karam said.
Assuming the county chooses a system shortly thereafter, employees in the Voter Registration Office would be trained on it during the month of February, with training for poll workers and voter education to take place in March and early April, he said.
Wayne County spent $295,000 to buy 100 AVS machines in 2006. Northampton spent $2.1 million to purchase 600 of the machines.
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com
©The Times-Tribune 2008
Anon,
ReplyDelete1) I'd appreciate in the future if you could provide a link to the story as opposed to an outright cut and paste of an entirte news account.
2) I have heard this elsewhere, and it is good news. The county may get reimbursed, but will still need to shell out the acquisition fees. And the truth is that, even with reimbursement, we are still paying for the mistake.