Latest news with #KNOWiNK
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Local board of elections helped other counties with paper pollbooks
In the lead up to the May 6 special election, many Ohio counties switched back to paper pollbooks, at least temporarily. A number of those counties reached out to the Ashtabula County Board of Elections, which was one of three county boards of elections in Ohio that still use paper pollbooks, along with Sandusky and Noble counties. Board of Elections Deputy Director Charlie Frye said the Ohio Secretary of State's Office told the roughly 55 counties relying on KNOWiNK electronic pollbooks to go back to paper after Perry County discovered issues with them. The KNOWiNK-reliant counties reached out to the Ashtabula County Board of Elections, who 'lend best practice,' Frye said. 'We didn't really micromanage, because every county board of elections is different,' he said. The counties told to switch to paper pollbooks relied on the Ashtabula County Board of Elections' training videos to learn about paper pollbooks and train poll workers, Frye said. Frye does not expect most of the counties to stick with paper pollbooks, he said. 'Its hard to say,' he said. Frye said the Ashtabula County Board of Elections was one of the first counties in the state to adopt electronic pollbooks. 'Our experience with it wasn't really a great experience,' he said. The board decided to transition back to paper after having issues with electronic pollbooks, such as bad updates that caused screens to freeze or go black, he said. 'We were just not happy,' he said. During the 2020 election, the county board of elections' electronic pollbooks had an issue, where 44 voters were not logged in them. 'That was kind of like the straw that broke the camel's back for us,' Frye said. The board of elections switched back to paper pollbooks in 2021, he said. 'It just made more sense to go back to paper,' Frye said. The electronic pollbooks the board used were going to be out of date, and it would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to update to a new system, Frye said. The switch back to paper has worked out well for the board. 'We've been fine ever since,' Frye said. Frye has noticed poll workers are more engaged with their work and the electoral process since the board of elections went back to paper pollbooks, he said.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dallas County invites public to test new voting systems, e-pollbooks
DALLAS - Dallas County is inviting residents to test its new voting system and electronic poll book check-in devices ahead of the upcoming election. What we know The Dallas County Elections Department is holding a public verification test to ensure the accuracy of its new voting system. During the event, residents can verify that votes are being recorded correctly. The test ballots will feature the same races as the May 3 Joint and Special Election ballot, but they are for testing purposes only and will not count toward the election. Attendees will also have the opportunity to test the county's new KNOWiNK e-pollbook devices, a tablet-based check-in system designed to shorten polling lines and securely verify voter information. Participants will be encouraged to provide feedback on what works well and what may need improvement in the new process. The backstory The county adopted the new e-pollbooks following issues in the November 2024 election, when a malfunction with the previous check-in system led to more than 4,000 voters receiving incorrect ballots. Officials say the updated system will improve accuracy and efficiency. What you can do The public test is scheduled for Wednesday, April 2, at 9 a.m. at the Dallas County Elections Department. The Source Information in this article comes from Dallas County Elections Department.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dallas County approves new Poll Pads for upcoming elections
The Brief At Tuesday's Dallas County Commissioners Court meeting, commissioners applauded how well and "seamless" the new Poll Pads work with other parts of the vote-counting process. The new vendor replaces the previous vendor and their devices, which were decertified by the state after meltdowns in November's general election. Dallas County Deputy Elections Administrator Malissa Kouba explained that once a voter has selected their choices, the ballot prints, and they can view it before placing it in the final machine, where votes are tabulated. Voters get to practice on the new equipment beginning on April 2. DALLAS - Dallas County commissioners have approved new pollbooks called Poll Pads, which will be used in local elections. They'll replace devices that melted down during the November election. What we know At Tuesday's Dallas County Commissioners Court meeting, commissioners applauded how well and "seamless" the new pollbook tablets work with other parts of the vote-counting process. The vendor, KNOWiNK, provided commissioners with a show-and-tell of the Poll Pads. The new vendor replaces the previous vendor and their devices, which were decertified by the state after meltdowns in November's general election. The clock is now ticking on getting the new polling equipment ready with early voting for the May elections just over a month away. What they're saying "It's definitely more intuitive, more user-friendly," said Dallas County Deputy Elections Administrator Malissa Kouba. "Anybody who has walked through any kind of a check-in at a doctor's office or anything like that uses a similar tablet process. It's very simple." Commissioners who tested the equipment last week agreed. "We tried to trip it up but couldn't. So it was good," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. "Regardless of the kind of ID, regardless of the skit to try to divert the election, the pollbook system responded," said Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price. "There are a number of people in my district who are always concerned about having paper as opposed to computers involved in the voting system," said Dallas County Commissioner Andrew Sommerman. "Is there a paper product here?" Kouba explained that once a voter has selected their choices, the ballot prints, and they can view it before placing it in the final machine, where votes are tabulated. And while confident in the equipment, Price is concerned about the education. "I want to be sure from KNOWiNK that they're training the technical people," he said. "So we are doing that bringing out multiple people, which allows us to continue giving consistent coverage across all the different aspects that it takes to deploy," explained Dan Peters with the new vendor. "That includes training the trainers assisting with poll worker, training and dealing with technical training inside the warehouse, and best practices for setting up to make sure that it's as easy as possible." What's next Voters get to practice on the new equipment beginning on April 2.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
$10.6 million deal awarded to revolutionize Pennsylvania's aged elections system
After 22 years and one false start, Pennsylvania is taking the next step in modernizing the computer systems that officials across the commonwealth use to keep track of voters, their ballots and other election-related services. When it's in place sometime before the 2028 presidential election, the average voter may not notice much difference. But the county workers who administer elections should have a modern, user-friendly and more secure system, election watchdogs say. More: When are Pa. elections happening in 2025? What's the voter registration deadline? Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration announced a $10.6 million contract with government technology provider Civix to replace the state's aging Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors system, which the Department of State has maintained since 2003. Civix, which has provided election systems to more than 20 states with leaders from both parties, will also modernize Pennsylvania's election night results reporting, campaign finance reporting and lobbyist registration systems. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said it was clear when the Shapiro administration came into office the voter registration system needed to be replaced. But a replacement contract awarded under the Wolf administration was faltering. With the next presidential election less than two years away, the Department of State took steps to ensure the existing system would remain reliable for the 2024 election and beyond. 'We made the decision to replace all of the hardware and upgrade the connectivity at the county level,' Schmidt told the Capital-Star, noting the upgrades ensured counties would be able to process an avalanche of voter registration and mail-in ballot applications. More: Pennsylvania lawmakers resume push to allow 1.3 million independents to vote in primaries Jeff Greenburg, senior election administration advisor for the nonprofit good government group Committee of Seventy, said he's encouraged the replacement project is moving forward again after a 'hiccup' that set the process back by five years. 'I have the utmost confidence that officials at the Department of State did their due diligence in selecting a company that can do the work that needs to be done,' said Greenburg, who was director of elections in Mercer County from 2007 until 2020. 'My hope is that where we end up is with a system that is going to be light years beyond a system that was created two decades ago.' More: Erie County Elections Board switches ballot printers after 2024 election issues In December 2023, the Department of State canceled its contract with KNOWiNK after it became clear the election technology company could not deliver. The department awarded the $10.7 million contract in 2020 to a company that was later acquired by KNOWiNK. It agreed to return about $720,000 the state had paid since the start of Shapiro's term, but not $1.5 million paid under the previous administration. To ensure the procurement is successful this time, the department hired a chief modernization officer to ensure the new systems meet the requirements of state and county election officials. 'It's important for me as a former county elections director that the new system provides what our counties ask for,' Schmidt said. 'They're the ones who interact with the system every day.' In May, the department issued its specifications and received seven bids. Four were considered by a team of Department of State elections staff, county elections officials, and information technology experts who spent months reviewing and testing the proposed systems. Former Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said Civix has a strong reputation in the election technology industry. 'They're very committed to the strongest technology, while having the strongest security in every system they have,' Boockvar said. And, Boockvar said, the department's timing in launching the new effort just after the 2024 presidential election is wise. 'Anything to do with elections, you don't make any major changes … right before an election where you expect very high turnout,' Boockvar said. 'It's really important to get it done in a year that's not right before a general or presidential election.' Peter Hall has been a journalist in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for more than 20 years. Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, the nation's largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: PA election system will get long-awaited $10 million upgrade
