TOUCH-SCREEN MACHINES WON’T MAKE ELECTION DEBUT

By Rick Joslin/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF

Jefferson County’s new touch-screen voting machines won’t be making their debut until after the May 23 primary and June 13 runoff elections.

The Jefferson County Election Commission voted unanimously Monday afternoon to instead use the county’s old lever machines. The panel had previously voted to use the new Electrical Systems and Software (ES&S) iVotronic Touch Screen Voting System, but Commission Chairman Trey Ashcraft said several ES&S “failures” forced a change in plans.

“With early voting beginning (Monday) May 8, ES&S hasn’t provided us with many essential and critical tools necessary for us to conduct the election to the standards set by law and to our own high standards,” Ashcraft said.

“In addition to being unable to ensure we would have everything we need to conduct the election, we would have no way to provide our voters with the access we desire in order to familiarize them with the machines,” Ashcraft said.

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.

“The commission had planned extensive training for poll workers and also a very proactive program to familiarize Jefferson County voters with the machines,” Ashcraft said. “We feel it is a critical step in order to provide our residents with the confidence and assurance that these machines would be accurate and effective, and meet our expectations for ease of use by all voters in the county.

“Reverting back to lever machines for this election will not be an easy process,” he said, “but we feel confident it provides us our best opportunity to provide the voters of Jefferson County the kind of election they deserve.”

Last week, Ashcraft indicated that the commission was prepared to use the new voting machines.

“We’re full steam ahead,” Ashcraft said recently.

Ashcraft said Jefferson received all 136 of the machines it would need.

The Secretary of State’s office and a private vendor said last week that they were working to ensure all counties could program and test electronic voting equipment in time for the primary election.