"Ashcraft said that as of Monday, Nebraska-based ES&S had not provided the commission with ballots, earphones and flashcards. Earphones are required under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Flashcards are needed to store voting data."
In the meantime state and local officials are working through the weekend, according to the Baxter Bulletin, in an attempt to have voting machines prepared for 8 2nd District counties. These counties are important because it is the only district in the state with a contested congressional primary this year.
Again, elections workers and officials are working overtime in an attempt to clean-up a mess that is only in existence because an election machine vendor over-sold their ability to provide contracted services. The voter ends up being the loser in the long-run.
MISSOURI COUNTIES DECIDE PAPER OR LEVERS ARE BETTER THAN FIGHTING ES&S FOR CONTRACT COMPLIANCE
The BRAD BLOG tells us that five Missouri counties have now joined the march back in time to their familiar paper ballots or lever machines.
Early voting begins in Missouri on May 8. Boone County is making contingency plans to drag a couple of their lever machines out of storage.
ES&S failed to properly provide ballot software for Carroll County who will now use paper ballots for early voting and only use e-voting for voters with disabilities in the primary.
Searcy County will use lever machines for early voting and on primary day if the iVotronics are not ready in time.
Newton and Marion Counties will use hand-counted paper ballots for early voting and hope that the machines will be ready for the primary.
Thus ends another week of failures and long hours by elections officials. It seems that some have gotten themselves on the right track and some are struggling to get on that track. Meanwhile the vendors continue to obfuscate and make excuses for their failures. While making millions of dollars in the bargain, of course.
Help America Vote, indeed.
In closing this week I would like to mention, again, Bruce Funk. He opened his office to allow Harri Hursti, Security Innovations and BlackBoxVoting to inspect the Diebold TSx voting machines that he was forced by the state of Utah to use in elections. For this act state officials have pushed him out of his job ...even though it is his act of courage and responsibility that has led to the revelation of a security vulnerability that must be fixed before Diebold TS or TSx machines are used in any elections anywhere in the country.
Funk deserves our support. America needs more courageous and responsible elections officials like him. Please visit the VoteTrustUSA 'Election Integrity Action Center' and let the Emery County Commissioners know how you feel.
