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| Tenex' Lena Santiago demonstrates epollbook. |
At last week's inaugural meeting of Northampton County's Elections Commission, they postponed a vote on a $240,000 order with Tenex, the cheapest of three bidders, for electronic pollbooks at the voting precincts. They will make a decision this week after doing their own research.
What they might discover is that Dallas County spent $6 million for the very same glorified iPads. County Commissioners there now say the system is vulnerable to hackers. As it happens, these iPads are unable to interface securely with the voting system Dallas uses. That system happens to be the ExpressVote XL, the very same system used in Northampton County.
In Northampton County, the Tenex pollbooks will have no interface with the ExpressVote XL, nor will they be connected to the Internet. There will only be an encrypted blue tooth connection between iPads operating within the same precinct. It seems unlikely this should be a problem, but this is why you don't rush into things.
12 comments:
Why is it always what the administration wants? The Election Commission is in charge and they should decide. This is a terrible abuse of power. The county council may have to step in AND Enforce the rights of the Commission against this administrations tyranny.
When is the elections meeting this week?
I get that counties are being forced by the state to make these changes. Unfortunately, making voting easier and quicker WILL present a brand new set of problems. Just the fact there will be an increase in total number of ballots cast, particularly an increase in the number of ‘Provisional’ ballots that will require more time and effort to justify.
According to your explanation here, Bernie, all of these iPad tablets will be unique to each specific precinct. Later, the information contained on those INDEPENDENT iPads will be transferred onto some mainframe computer that combines everything all together in one place.
To me, handling of ‘Provisional’ ballots will be the biggest challenge. We might see 2-3 times the usual amount of ballots requiring a second look to validate. That’s concerning.
At the very least, the ‘master’ computer that gathers and verifies ALL of the data from those iPads needs to be up-to-date and in pristine condition. Is it?
There's absolutely no reason to trust ANY of the decision making of this administration regarding election equipment. Let's hold off on this until after the next executive election, so that we may have someone responsible in charge. I think we can run out the clock on Lamont, and that would be in the county's best interests on all levels. What's the rush?
Spend a little time reviewing the work of author Adrian Norman. Or, view one of his videos on YouTube. He reveals how poorly managed and corrupted election data has become all across America. Millions and millions of questionable registration entries. Most of them due to making Voting easier, especially by mail-in ballot.
We can’t control the sad shape of voter records in places like California, Oregon, New York, Florida, etc., but Northampton County citizens have a right to demand our own information is accurate. The process used to verify data here requires explanation and examination.
Now that just about anything/everyone being presented on Election Day, and before, will be accepted, our main data base used to verify eligibility should be PROVEN to be good.
"Why is it always what the administration wants? The Election Commission is in charge and they should decide. "
It is not as you represent. The admin is seeking a recommendation from the EC. The admin does the grunt work and then asks the EC to make a recommendation. After that, the money has to be appropriated by Council.
Under the Elections Code, the EC makes these decisions, but the HRC places representatives of both parties in control. In most counties, it is the full-time comm'rs. The members of the elections commission are volunteers who lack the time to supervise or select employees, prepare RFPs, RFQs, or rate proposals. The HRC leaves that function with the county. This is a gray area, and one I have been noting for years,. This is just one of many reasons why I have long advocated a HRC study. This was opposed, but the HRC needs an overhaul.
"When is the elections meeting this week?"
It should be on Thursday. I do not have a time. I assume that this time, it will be in Council chambers.
"To me, handling of ‘Provisional’ ballots will be the biggest challenge. We might see 2-3 times the usual amount of ballots requiring a second look to validate. That’s concerning."
I believe there will be thousands of mail-in and absentee ballots. I believe there will be thousands. There may also be a large number of provisional ballots cast by voters who refuse to use the machine.
"At the very least, the ‘master’ computer that gathers and verifies ALL of the data from those iPads needs to be up-to-date and in pristine condition. Is it?"
Don't think you need a master computer and this has NOTHING to do with the county's IT department. When the iPads come back to Easton, they simply sync with the Registrar's iPad.
"There's absolutely no reason to trust ANY of the decision making of this administration regarding election equipment. Let's hold off on this until after the next executive election, so that we may have someone responsible in charge"
I see. Let's just not have an election bc you hate the Exec. By the way, how do you replace him without one? ... Idiot.
"Spend a little time reviewing the work of author Adrian Norman. "
I have. Pa.'s voter rolls are fine. If a person misses two federal election cycles, he or she is sent a card asking that person to verify address. If the person fails to respond, he or she is considered inactive and is eventually removed or purged,. The process takes a long time and should take a long time bc we want people to vote in a democracy. What this means is that many dead people or people who have moved away are on the rolls for a few years. I am unaware of a single instance in this county or LC of dead persons having voted.
OK, then the Registrar’s iPad needs to be accurate. Sheesh.
They all need to be accurate.
Something's rotten in Denmark!
Will someone get this renegade administration under control This is what happens when you get a slick asbestos lawyer and his arrogant NY pawn running things. Is anyone left in the county to get a handle on all of this incompetence and corruption.
Where is Ron Angle when we need him? He could help us make Northampton County great again!
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