Posted on June 25, 2019
Author Anita Goodan, WKVI
Starke County’s nine-year-old voting machines will undergo an update to bring them up to date with operating systems and security.
Starke County Election Board Proxy Member Dan Bridegroom told the Starke County Council members last week that they approached the council last year with a request to upgrade the machines at a cost of about $67,000. The update would be done by Microvote officials and it had to be done by the 2020 Presidential Election. The council members tabled a decision when it came to them last year.
Microvote Representative Steve Shamo told the council members last week the upgrades need to be done.
“The idea is to get this up to Windows 10 for the system,” explained Shamo. “It will also introduce some new security software within the software itself. From the voter standpoint, they won’t see any difference whatsoever.”
Shamo delivered some positive news to the council regarding the upgrade.
“There are six counties left in the state who have not done this upgrade and the Secretary of State’s office has taken it upon themselves to pay for your upgrade to get you up to the necessary platform.
He noted that the machines will be upgraded after this year’s November Municipal General Election.
Shamo explained that the State is going to introduce a requirement of a Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail in which a printer will be connected to a voting machine to sit in the back of the voting booth on Election Day.
“The process would be that the voters make their selections, but prior to casting their final vote they will see a paper printout of the choices they made to confirm that there’s this integral interaction between paper and machine.”
The Secretary of State will be buying 10 percent of the printers for every county in the state. For now, they will be used to accommodate absentee voting, but every machine will have one by 2029. At that time, the county could possibly make a different choice concerning voting machines.
In the meantime, the Election Board members are looking to approve quotes to construct a secure room for the voting machines to be stored. They are also looking toward evolving to e-poll books.
Showing posts with label voting machine upgrades. Show all posts
Showing posts with label voting machine upgrades. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Friday, February 8, 2019
Starke County Election Board to Meet with Microvote Representatives on Monday
Posted on February 8, 2019
Author Anita Goodan, WKVI
The Starke County Election Board members were to speak to the commissioners Monday night about legislation concerning election cyber security, but board members will meet with Microvote representatives before moving forward with a decision.
Senate Bill 570 proposes a number of new requirements related to election cyber security including a voter verifiable paper audit trail starting in 2022.
To be in compliance with the legislation, if passed, the Starke County Election Board would have to replace all of the county’s voting machines. The board members have been discussing updating the machines, but updating the machines wouldn’t allow proper accountability standards in Senate Bill 570. To upgrade all of the components involved could cost over $200,000.
Clerk Bernadette Welter Manuel told the Starke County Commissioners Monday night that they will have more information to present during their next meeting after meeting with Microvote on Feb. 11.
Author Anita Goodan, WKVI
The Starke County Election Board members were to speak to the commissioners Monday night about legislation concerning election cyber security, but board members will meet with Microvote representatives before moving forward with a decision.
Senate Bill 570 proposes a number of new requirements related to election cyber security including a voter verifiable paper audit trail starting in 2022.
To be in compliance with the legislation, if passed, the Starke County Election Board would have to replace all of the county’s voting machines. The board members have been discussing updating the machines, but updating the machines wouldn’t allow proper accountability standards in Senate Bill 570. To upgrade all of the components involved could cost over $200,000.
Clerk Bernadette Welter Manuel told the Starke County Commissioners Monday night that they will have more information to present during their next meeting after meeting with Microvote on Feb. 11.
Monday, December 11, 2017
Starke County Election Board to Pursue Voting Machine Upgrades
Posted on December 11, 2017
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI
The Starke County Election Board has decided to proceed with upgrades to the county’s 46 voting machines. Steve Shamo with vendor MicroVote said the goal is to bring the machines up to the latest federal standards, in time for the 2020 presidential election. “The difference is primarily how the software and the firmware, which is the resident software in each panel, thinks,” he explained. “For instance, the system that you have, the software coding is written like line one through 250,000. That’s how it thinks in logic. The new software requirements require that all functions are remained in very compartmental small blocks of code, and require what’s called a transactional operation.”
He said that will require the replacement of internal components, like processors and motherboards. “The only visible difference that your voters will see is that the screen will be different,” Shamo said. “The screen will have a dark image with white lettering on it, so it’s much more clarity. And there’s a different glare shield on the top, which, ironically, is the cheapest component that does the best work. It’s a one-dollar plastic screen.”
One thing that will not be added to Starke County’s voting system is a printed receipt for voters. Shamo said that while it might make the process seem more secure, it actually has the potential of complicating matters. “If you had some sort of device that was printing, and it missed even a single one . . . that entire audit-ability is void. You’ve missed one,” he said. “And then the second factor of it is that it’s a receipt that is sell-able, and it’s maintainable. So unless it’s you’re guaranteeing 100-percent collection of those receipts, as they’re being handed out or whatever, showing how to vote, if it leaves the polling site, that unto itself can void an election.” However, he said the system does have the ability to print individual vote records, to allow a recount to be done by hand.
Shamo said the upgrades will cost the county just over $1,400 per machine, compared to $3,900 for a brand new one. With the election board’s approval last week, the proposal now goes to the county commissioners and county council for further consideration.
The work would likely take place after the 2018 election cycle. Clerk Vicki Cooley said that might allow the election board to fund the upgrades in the 2019 budget.
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI
The Starke County Election Board has decided to proceed with upgrades to the county’s 46 voting machines. Steve Shamo with vendor MicroVote said the goal is to bring the machines up to the latest federal standards, in time for the 2020 presidential election. “The difference is primarily how the software and the firmware, which is the resident software in each panel, thinks,” he explained. “For instance, the system that you have, the software coding is written like line one through 250,000. That’s how it thinks in logic. The new software requirements require that all functions are remained in very compartmental small blocks of code, and require what’s called a transactional operation.”
He said that will require the replacement of internal components, like processors and motherboards. “The only visible difference that your voters will see is that the screen will be different,” Shamo said. “The screen will have a dark image with white lettering on it, so it’s much more clarity. And there’s a different glare shield on the top, which, ironically, is the cheapest component that does the best work. It’s a one-dollar plastic screen.”
One thing that will not be added to Starke County’s voting system is a printed receipt for voters. Shamo said that while it might make the process seem more secure, it actually has the potential of complicating matters. “If you had some sort of device that was printing, and it missed even a single one . . . that entire audit-ability is void. You’ve missed one,” he said. “And then the second factor of it is that it’s a receipt that is sell-able, and it’s maintainable. So unless it’s you’re guaranteeing 100-percent collection of those receipts, as they’re being handed out or whatever, showing how to vote, if it leaves the polling site, that unto itself can void an election.” However, he said the system does have the ability to print individual vote records, to allow a recount to be done by hand.
Shamo said the upgrades will cost the county just over $1,400 per machine, compared to $3,900 for a brand new one. With the election board’s approval last week, the proposal now goes to the county commissioners and county council for further consideration.
The work would likely take place after the 2018 election cycle. Clerk Vicki Cooley said that might allow the election board to fund the upgrades in the 2019 budget.
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