Secretary Of State Answers Questions On Voter Confidence Act

By Kleinheider Posted on June 30, 2009 at 11:25 am

How well is a matter of perspective, I suppose.

What is the Tennessee Department of State’s position on the VoterConfidence Act?
The Department of State is committed to helping counties implement the act. There are, however, significant financial and logistical hurdles that counties will have to overcome in order to meet the 2010 deadline.

What’s the advantage in switching to optical scan machines?
Supporters believe the machines make it easier to conduct recounts and verify election results.

Who pays for the optical scan equipment?
The state will pay the cost of purchasing the machines. However, county governments will be responsible for other costs associated with the act, such as ballot printing, ballot storage and election worker training.

What are some of the hurdles to meeting the implementation deadline?
Cost is obviously one, during an economic climate in which many local governments are struggling financially. However, a much bigger issue is the lack of availability of the equipment. The act requires counties to use equipment that meets the security and reliability standards adopted by the federal Election Assistance Commission in 2005. Currently, there are no vendors who sell equipment that meets those standards – in Tennessee or elsewhere in the country. Additionally, the commission’s certification process is very thorough, so it appears there is insufficient time for a vendor to complete that process and become certified before the 2010 deadline.

So what are the alternatives then?
One would be for the General Assembly to lower the security and reliability standards for the equipment. Another would be to delay implementation of the Voter Confidence Act until 2012.

Isn’t supporting a delay just a way of killing the act?
Not at all. Anything worth doing is worth doing right. And it makes more sense to take the time necessary to get the best quality equipment rather than settle for equipment that’s less reliable and less secure.

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