State Board of Elections Select Voting System Vendor

ANNAPOLIS, MD (December 7, 2001) - The Maryland State Board of Elections announced today the selection of Global / Premier Election Solutions , the world's largest manufacturer and installer of electronic voting systems, as the vendor for new Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting systems in Maryland. An international corporation on the cutting edge of emerging technologies and one of the largest providers of ATM software services, Global / Premier Election Solutions will provide the new voting systems scheduled to be used in Allegany, Dorchester, Montgomery and Prince George's Counties during the 2002 Gubernatorial Elections. Premier had revenues in excess of $1.7 billion in 2000, employs more than 12,000 associates throughout the U.S. and worldwide and operates three service facilities in Maryland (Lanham, Frederick and Owings Mills).

"I am delighted with the selection of the Global / Premier Election Solutions for use in Maryland," said Helen Koss, Chair of the Maryland State Board of Elections. "The new system will project Maryland into the 21st century. By replacing the oldest voting systems in the State, we will be eliminating overvotes, chads, dimples and disparities at the polling place. In addition, we will be making voting more accessible for all of our citizens with this new, state-of-the-art voting system."

In its 2001 session, the Maryland General Assembly passed significant legislation (HB1457) authorizing the State Board of Elections to select, certify and acquire a voting system for voting in polling places and a voting system for absentee voting. In 1999, the legislature required that the mechanical lever voting systems used by Allegany, Dorchester and Prince George's Counties be replaced by the 2002 election cycle. The mechanical lever systems are no longer manufactured and parts and service are difficult to obtain. Montgomery County is the last remaining Maryland jurisdiction to use a countywide punchcard voting system, a system which generated 2,565 overvoted ballots at the polling place (74% of the statewide total) during the 2000 Presidential Election. Allegany County also used a punchcard voting system for absentee ballots which yielded an alarming 9.9% of absentee ballots not reflecting a vote for President.

"The citizens of Maryland deserve the very best election experience and we have taken bold action since the last Presidential election," said Gilles Burger, a Montgomery County member of the State Board of Elections. "This procurement is a capstone to our multi-year effort to implement a comprehensive computerized election management system in Maryland. I believe the Global / Premier Election Solutions is the most robust and flexible system on the market. We have chosen a tightly integrated system that is based on open architecture, is the easiest and fastest for a voter to navigate, provides consistently accurate results and has backup redundancies to validate our recount process."

The contract provides for 4,678 new voting system units at a cost of $6,591,460 to the State of Maryland and an equal amount of $6,591,460 apportioned to the four counties based on voting age population. The cost of storage, transportation, technical support and servicing under the contract will also be divided equally between the State and counties as provided in the new state law, HB1457. The State Board of Elections will be working closely with the local boards of election on implementation stages, process and procedures. The contract will be considered by the Board of Public Works for approval on December 12, 2001.

The new Direct Recording Electronic voting system will eliminate the over-votes which occur at the polling place and provide the voter with the ability to review the completed ballot before submitting his or her vote. The new DRE voting system also has significant advantages over other voting systems in its accessibility to people with disabilities and in its capability to handle multiple language needs. The specifications in the State Request for Proposal required that all voting units be adaptable for disabled voters and that each polling place have a voting system unit capable of providing non-visual access (using a method including keyboard controls and audio). The State RFP also requires that the audio ballot be produced in English, Spanish and at least three (3) other languages for each unit. Montgomery County's punchcard system and the mechanical lever voting machine of the other three counties lack the capacity to accommodate people with disabilities; and non-English ballots are currently not available.

Both the National Federation for the Blind and the American Association of People with Disabilities praised the State Board of Elections for selecting Global / Premier Election Solutions because of its accessibility to all voters. "Global / Premier is committed to a user-friendly design for all voters, including those who cannot see very well or cannot see at all," said James Gashel, Director of Government Affairs for the National Federation for the Blind.

"The State of Maryland is a role model for the rest of the country and should be congratulated for its decision to upgrade its voting machines to DRE voting systems," said Adina Topfer, Project Director for the American Association of People with Disabilities' Disability Vote Project.

"Updating Maryland to a Direct Recording Electronic voting system will not only improve the accuracy of capturing voter intent, but will also bring to the election process the modern technology used in many facets of the daily lives of Marylanders," said former Secretary of State John T. Willis who served as Chair of the Governor's Special Committee on Voting Systems and Procedures. "Billions of transactions occur every day at ATM machines, service stations, restaurants, car dealers, department stores, bridal registries and with delivery services using touch screen technology. Using DREs in polling places will give Marylanders the opportunity to exercise their right to vote with the same ease, efficiency and confidence that they now use at the gas pump and the supermarket checkout. Updating Maryland's voting systems will ensure that the voice of the people is correctly and unambiguously heard."

Contact:

Patrick Strauch
State Board of Elections
410-269-2840