"I think that vendors outright misrepresent the robustness, stability, and security of their systems. You just have to look at the litany of problems and it points at one thing, bad fundamental design, and not enough checks and balances. I also wonder why the other vendors were so adamant in fighting a VVPAT system requirement. They spent much more in fighting it than in implementing it," he said.

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by Sean Greene, electionline.org

The market for voting systems has been a perilous one, especially for small companies. While firms can potentially land contracts to sell large numbers of systems to localities across the country looking to replace older voting machines, they must navigate a complex maze of state and federal certification procedures, endure local procurement fights, close scrutiny and meet demand for a large number of voting systems, sometimes in a severely compressed time schedule.

The realities of the market most recently took its toll on the voting-machine maker AccuPoll, which filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, leaving two counties in Texas using its products with no vendor support and a frustrated former CEO in its wake.

The company, which produced the AVS-1000, a voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT)-equipped touch-screen machine, has ceased all operations.

AccuPoll's voting system was federally certified in 2005 to the 2002 Voting System Standards. It received state certification in Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin. The machines have also been used by unions and private organizations.

Only two counties nationally - both in Texas - purchased the machines, a decision that now leaves them without vendor support with AccuPoll's dismantling.

And it also leaves the company's former head fuming about the nature of the voting-machine business.

"I am not happy about the outcome, or the state of the industry. I think that something needs to be done. I'm not sure what it is, it probably doesn't include AccuPoll at this point, but I do not feel that any of the vendors has a system that voters can trust," said Dennis Vadura, former AccuPoll CEO.

"I think that vendors outright misrepresent the robustness, stability, and security of their systems. You just have to look at the litany of problems and it points at one thing, bad fundamental design, and not enough checks and balances. I also wonder why the other vendors were so adamant in fighting a VVPAT system requirement. They spent much more in fighting it than in implementing it," he said.

As reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last August, and in recent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (click here and here for reports), questions arose about some of the company's investors and accounting procedures. Vadura dismissed the press as "a bit of a smear" and stood by his company's accounting.

He said these questions did not lead to the bankruptcy, they just added to the strain on the company.

"It was too little business too late. Our investors were fed up with funding the company, and not winning business," Vadura said.

He also described a difficult experience in dealing with the government procurement process.

"I am extremely jaded by the government procurement and purchasing game. In some cases I would point the finger at sheer incompetence on the part of the procurement officers. Some of it is also due to them not wanting to take risk, or not wanting to make a decision for political reasons."

Those that did take the risk - the two counties in Texas - reported that both voters and officials that used AccuPoll said they were pleased with the performance of the machines and its VVPAT component during the March primary, even though they know going forward they will be administrating without a support network from the vendor.

"That's why we liked it," said Jane Jones, Delta County clerk, referring to the paper trail.

Both counties had support from former AccuPoll employees during the primary. However, when it comes to future elections, both county clerks noted they are on their own.
"We know the machine well enough. We'll just have to wing it," said Erath County clerk Gwinda Jones. In related news, organizations pushing for VVPATs descended on Capitol Hill for a lobbying week, pushing for passage of Rep. Rush Holt's (D-N.J.) H.R. 550. The bill, which was introduced in February 2005 and is currently in is in the Committee on House Administration, has 168 cosponsors, including 156 Democrats and 12 Republicans.

Submitter: Joan Brunwasser

Submitters Website: http://www.opednews.com/author/author79.html

Submitters Bio:

Joan Brunwasser is a co-founder of Citizens for Election Reform (CER) which since 2005 existed for the sole purpose of raising the public awareness of the critical need for election reform. Our goal: to restore fair, accurate, transparent, secure elections where votes are cast in private and counted in public. Because the problems with electronic (computerized) voting systems include a lack of transparency and the ability to accurately check and authenticate the vote cast, these systems can alter election results and therefore are simply antithetical to democratic principles and functioning.



Since the pivotal 2004 Presidential election, Joan has come to see the connection between a broken election system, a dysfunctional, corporate media and a total lack of campaign finance reform. This has led her to enlarge the parameters of her writing to include interviews with whistle-blowers and articulate others who give a view quite different from that presented by the mainstream media. She also turns the spotlight on activists and ordinary folks who are striving to make a difference, to clean up and improve their corner of the world. By focusing on these intrepid individuals, she gives hope and inspiration to those who might otherwise be turned off and alienated. She also interviews people in the arts in all their variations - authors, journalists, filmmakers, actors, playwrights, and artists. Why? The bottom line: without art and inspiration, we lose one of the best parts of ourselves. And we're all in this together. If Joan can keep even one of her fellow citizens going another day, she considers her job well done.


When Joan hit one million page views, OEN Managing Editor, Meryl Ann Butler interviewed her, turning interviewer briefly into interviewee. Read the interview here.

While the news is often quite depressing, Joan nevertheless strives to maintain her mantra: "Grab life now in an exuberant embrace!"


Joan has been Election Integrity Editor for OpEdNews since December, 2005. Her articles also appear at Huffington Post, RepublicMedia.TV and Scoop.co.nz.