The county’s election board decided it wants its current vendor to continue leading its elections for at least four more years.
Three election vendors, 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 election vendor provides the equipment, technology and support to operate an election.
The board unanimously approved hiring MicroVote, its current vendor, and will recommend the Indianapolis-based company to the Johnson County Board of Commissioners at its meeting on Monday. The commissioners will decide whether to enter into a contract with MicroVote.
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“We need to make a decision today. Time is of the essence,” Election Board member Phil Barrow said after the demonstrations on Tuesday.
MicroVote leaders said they need to know by Oct. 1 if the county would like to proceed, as it takes about 18 weeks to get everything configured, delivered and ready to go. The equipment would be used in the May 2020 presidential primary.
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 new system that was just certified by the state and would include a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit 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 current system allows poll workers and election officials to view a printable audit of each ballot cast, whereas the new system would allow the voter to see that audit as well. But there is no physical paper trail, such as a printed ballot that is scanned into a separate machine once they have reviewed it, as is the case with the other two vendors.
The company did not include the new system in its initial bid because it was not state certified until July 31, after the proposal deadline, said Mike Miller, MicroVote owner.
Election Board attorney Stephen Huddleston said MicroVote leaders would need to submit changes to its bid to the commissioners so the three-member board has the most up-to-date cost to vote on.
Through a state-funded program, the county could be reimbursed for the cost of 10 percent of the new machines if the commissioners decide to go that route. The state has already purchased hundreds of the new machines, including with the paper audit trail, and plans to distribute those to counties that currently use MicroVote, including Johnson County, Miller said.
MicroVote serves 52 of Indiana’s 92 counties, more than any other election vendor in the state.
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 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 attempted to get the job from the county this time, and did have impressive new equipment, board members agreed.
“I’ve always had the opinion — and I was not on the board at that time — that they took the blame for that situation, but also, at the same time, you have a board that let things go for over 10 years without a review,” election board member Robert Service said. “The board should take a little bit of that blame for not watching the system.”
Clerk Trena McLaughlin chose MicroVote due to the ease and size of its machines, its support staff, the county’s experience with the vendor during the May primary election and the fact that its cost is a packaged deal, she said.
She could not bring herself to give E S and S another chance, she said.
“With our current history with ES and S…” McLaughlin said, pausing. “I was not the clerk when we had all those issues, but I was there, and it was not a good day.”
Last week, the Johnson County Council unanimously approved borrowing $1.4 million to spend on new equipment. The council will need to vote on borrowing the money again at its next meeting Oct. 7.
McLaughlin said Tuesday that amount, coupled with money the Election Board has saved, would 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. It was revealed during Tuesday’s meeting that ES and S bid the highest, at about $1.6 million.
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.
Barrow said MicroVote had the most secure system.
“It’s a big thing to me. It’s comfort level and integrity in the system,” Barrow said. “I liked their support that they gave us in the spring. They were right there with us. I’m comfortable with them.”
