The county’s Election Board decided it wants its current vendor to continue leading its elections for at least four more years after a full day of demonstrations.
Three election vendors, including MicroVote, Election Systems and Software and RBM Consulting, presented to the three-member board on Tuesday. All three vendors had submitted proposals in July after the county solicited bids from vendors seeking to service the county’s elections moving forward.
The board unanimously approved going with MicroVote, its current vendor, and will recommend the vendor to the Johnson County Board of Commissioners at its meeting on Monday. The commissioners will decide whether to enter into a contract with MicroVote.
The county fired its previous vendor in February after an investigation by the Secretary of State’s Office revealed ES and S broke or attempted to break state election laws in configuring a workaround to get voters through polling places. The county is renting equipment from Indianapolis-based MicroVote for this year’s municipal elections, but local election officials want to buy all new equipment before next year’s election, which is expected to produce a massive turnout.
ES and S tried out again, impressing election board members with its new equipment, they said. But the board ultimately decided to go with MicroVote due to the simplicity of its machines and the county’s experience with the vendor in the May primary election.
ES and S was late on Tuesday. The vendor was scheduled to present at 9 a.m., but did not show up until after 10 a.m., citing a miscommunication about their scheduled time. The Election Board decided to allow them to present, but split their demonstration between the morning and afternoon so the other two vendors could go on as scheduled.
Last week, the Johnson County Council unanimously approved borrowing $1.4 million to spend on new equipment from one of the three election vendors. The council will need to vote on borrowing the money again at its next meeting Oct. 7.
Clerk Trena McLaughlin said Tuesday that should be enough to purchase all new equipment from MicroVote based on its bid, the details of which the board has chosen to keep private until a final decision is made.
The equipment the county would buy from MicroVote is similar to what it is using this year, except the board is recommending the county go with a brand new system that was just certified by the state and would include a paper trail. The new system will cost about $1,000 more per machine than the cost that was included in the vendor’s initial bid. MicroVote demonstrated both systems on Tuesday.
The Election Board chose the best vendor based on cost, qualifications and demonstrations, and will bring its selection to the county’s Board of Commissioners for final approval. The commissioners will enter into an agreement and sign the contract with the vendor.
The 2020 presidential primary is less than eight months away. McLaughlin and the board have not relented in the county’s need for new equipment after a technical failure last November left some voters waiting in lines for hours, and others not voting at all.
For years, the county put off purchasing new voting equipment due to the cost, despite several urges from election officials to find the money and make the move. That left the county’s previous election equipment old and outdated.
This year, the county is renting election equipment from MicroVote, which was a quick fix that was needed after the county fired ES and S in February. That equipment was praised during the May primary election, which saw a 10 percent voter turnout, and will be used again in November.
