Clerk hires consultant to help with primary
Adviser will be limited to coordinating logistics because he used to work for voting machine firm.

By Andy Gammill
andy.gammill@indystar.com
March 24, 2004
Citing concerns about the integrity of the May 4 primary, Johnson County's clerk of the courts has hired a consultant to help coordinate logistics for the election.

Clerk Jill Jackson said she no longer trusts Election Systems & Software, the company on contract to provide voting equipment and help conduct the election.

Other county officials had reservations about her choice of a consultant but agreed to the contract because time is running short with only about 40 days until the primary.

The contract with Doug Orange says he will be responsible for advising Jackson and helping conduct the primary. It bars him from working directly with voting machines.

Last fall, Orange managed the technical aspects of Johnson County's election for Election Systems & Software, the company that provides its voting equipment. The firm terminated his contract this year.

The company provided illegal software on the voting machines for the general election in Johnson County and three other Indiana counties. A spokeswoman said ES&S misunderstood changes in state law and had internal communications problems.

The company has changed its processes and is working closely with clients to resolve the matter, she said.

This month, representatives of the company persuaded a reluctant state commission to approve its machines for the primary.

At that meeting, Election Commission Chairman Brian Burdick said the entire situation is "distasteful" and called company representatives "derelicts." The commission ordered ES&S to post a $10 million bond to cover the cost of future elections that might be botched.

Jackson, who took office Jan. 1, said she has lost faith in the company and wants someone knowledgeable about elections to advise her. She trusts Orange to give good advice, she said.

County Commissioners hesitated to hire Orange, saying he must have been let go from ES&S for a reason. Hiring him to work for the county could sour its relations with the company, Commissioner Joe DeHart suggested.

Commissioner Jim Rhoades expressed concern that Orange could put the county in a dangerous position. It would be possible for an angry ex-employee to exact revenge by working for one of his former clients, Rhoades said.

The commissioners approved the contract after stipulating that Orange must stay away from the machines.