Omaha, Nebraska, June 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OMAHA, Nebr. – June 10, 2020 – While the results in some areas may take some time to tabulate, voters and elections officials in jurisdictions served by Election Systems & Software (ES&S)—South Carolina, Nevada, North Dakota and West Virginia—were able to use in-person voting machines and process ballots as planned on June 9.
“We didn't have any issues with our machines at all,” said Susie Edwards, elections director for Dillon County, S.C., “Our voters like it and seem to think it’s easier. It’s easier for us to use, too. I was so grateful for the outstanding support we had with us.”
More than 750,000 South Carolina voters cast ballots in their statewide primary on June 9, where all jurisdictions use the ES&S ExpressVote® Universal Voting System. The fully-auditable paper-based voting system was implemented in South Carolina in the summer of 2019, and many voters first interacted with the new machines four months ahead of schedule thanks to a seamless implementation and training process across the state. Voters in Tuesday’s election had expanded access to absentee ballots due to restrictions presented by the coronavirus pandemic; however, many voters still opted to cast their ballots in person.
In Georgia, which also held its primary on June 9, ES&S is not a supplier and hasn’t sold ES&S tabulators in Georgia in this century. ES&S competed for the Georgia contract but lost to Dominion Voting Systems, headquartered in Canada. The New York Times reported, “Georgia’s voting fiasco stemmed primarily from the 30,000 new voting machines the state bought last year for $107 million.” Tuesday’s election was the first statewide use of the new system, although six rural counties used the system for municipal contests in December and experienced problems with voting and significant delays. ES&S lost the bid to provide elections equipment in Georgia despite ES&S equipment being ranked highest on technical merit. Evaluators said the ES&S system would be easy for voters, poll workers and election officials to use, but Dominion’s equipment was chosen by the state. A post-bid in-depth analysis by ES&S shows ES&S voting systems were lower in overall cost when local jurisdiction costs were factored in.
“Through our 40 years of experience, we know that successful elections require quality equipment, with good implementation and training, as well as proper provider support,” said Jim Schmidt, ES&S Senior Vice President of Operations. “The unfortunate situation in Georgia is a serious reminder of the crucial role that equipment providers play—a role ES&S is deeply committed to getting right, in each and every election. We are pleased that voters and officials in jurisdictions we support were able to exercise their right to vote and to meet the demanding challenges that have come with running elections during a pandemic.”
ABOUT ES&S: Election Systems & Software (ES&S) is the nation’s leading voting systems manufacturer. For more than 40 years, ES&S has been supporting elections by creating and providing secure, accurate and accessible voting equipment to jurisdictions across the country. Learn more about ES&S at www.essvote.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/essvote.
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