OH: Reason for election machine glitch found, officials expect things to be OK for the primary

[Bill Bored]

Reason for election machine glitch found, officials expect things to be OK for the primary

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/05/reason_for_election_machine_gl.html

By Joan Mazzolini, The Plain Dealer
May 01, 2010, 8:00AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Six percent of the county's vote-counting scanner machines failed a pre-election test, but the elections chief said the board has enough backup machines for the Tuesday primary and is confident no votes will be lost if machines freeze up on election day.

All told, 89 of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections' 1,200 machines powered down and then froze during a specific test done to ensure the optical scanners were reading paper ballots correctly.

Voting machine manufacturer Election Systems & Software, Inc. said it believes the problem has to do with the scanner's software. And they believe they have a coding update that will fix it.

-snip-

"Unfortunately, it is too late to provide any changes or system updates to correct the issue before the May 4th election," wrote Ken Carbullido, the company's senior vice president of systems. "As such, ES&S is also prepared to provide additional onsite personnel to support potential additional workload or complexity due to the possibility of (scanner) shut-down occurrences."

-snip-

[RC]

1. never mind

[Bill Bored]

2. Not 6% as reported. (89+14)/(1,200+108) = 7.9%. The new ones failed at 14/108 = 13%.

Thanks to bystander75 on the Cleveland blog for this analysis.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

3. From Cuyahoga Co Website

I put in a call to the EAC to ask if they knew what type of "glitch" this was.
Whether it was in the DS200 or in the Unity software, and would this affect other places like Florida.

Using Optical Scan Ballots

The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections introduces a new voting technology

Beginning this September, voters in Cuyahoga County will continue to vote with paper ballots, but will feed their ballots through the ES&S DS200 digital scan machine. As always, your optical scan paper ballots will be easy to use. Simply fill in the oval located next to your selection for a candidate or choice of an issue. When you have finished filling in your ballot, you will feed your ballot into the DS200 machine and it will tabulate and secure your ballot. The DS200 is a next-generation ballot counter and vote tabulator that has been certified by the State of Ohio.

Common ballot problems occur when people vote for too many candidates in one race or when voters cast their ballots in the wrong precinct. Make sure you are at the correct precinct table at your voting location. Make sure you read your ballot carefully and understand how many candidates to vote for. If you have a question, please ask a Poll Worker. If you make a mistake on your ballot, return it to a Poll Worker and ask for a new one. You can request up to two replacement ballots.

Be sure to double check your ballot for accuracy, as improperly marked votes will not be counted. Once your ballot is scanned and accepted, your vote is final. If a voter has a disability that needs to be accommodated, voting devices that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act will be available at each location.

If you still have questions, please call the Board of Elections Voter Information Hotline at: 216-443-3298, or download the brochure in English or Español.


U.S. E.A.C. Unity System Certification
http://boe.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_boe/en-US/ESSUnity3200_Certificatification_Document.pdf
U.S. E.A.C. Unity System Approval Letter
http://boe.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_boe/en-US/Decision_Authority_Grant_of_Certification.pdf
Ohio Secretary of State Certification of Unity 3.2.0.0 Voting System
http://boe.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_boe/en-US/ESS_Cert_Ltr_7_21_09.pdf

http://boe.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/using-optical-scan-ballots.aspx