Company will provide paper ballots
By MICHAEL W. HOSKINS
Daily Journal staff writer
mhoskins@thejournalnet.com

Aug. 7-8, 2004

Election Systems and Software will be able to provide paper ballots for November’s election if touchscreen voting machines are not certified in two weeks, the company said Friday.

The three-member Johnson County Election Board voted Tuesday to use optical scan machines and paper ballots unless the company can promise by Aug. 20 that touchscreen equipment can be legally used.

The company, often referred to as ES&S, has been seeking state approval for months to use the machines. To date, the Indiana Election Commission has not given that OK.

Even though the company has two weeks to obtain certification from the state, the election board on Tuesday told an ES&S manager to let the county know if the switch was possible by the end of the week.

“We’re fully prepared to do that,” ES&S spokeswoman Becky Vollmer said Friday afternoon. “We share the county’s goal to provide an accurate, reliable system for November’s election.”

She said ES&S continues putting “considerable resources” toward getting the touchscreen machine equipment certified for use in November’s election. She did not know if that would happen by Aug. 20.

Robb McGinnis, the regional sales manager that sold the county the equipment, promised to let the county know by Friday if the company can switch to the optical scan machines.

McGinnis said he had to ask company officials if they can deliver machines to all 104 precincts by Nov. 1, and if ES&S will provide all printed training materials for staff and poll workers.

Vollmer did not know if those terms had been finalized.

“We’d like to clarify with the county what their specific needs are,” she said.

County Clerk Jill Jackson said if the company could not meet the terms of the switchover, she would ask election board attorney Steve Huddleston to file a lawsuit against ES&S.

Huddleston did not return telephone calls on Friday to confirm if the company had provided a written response. Jackson was not in the office on Friday and could not be reached for comment.